Turkey’s ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel has announced that his team is prepared to establish a new political party if ongoing legal efforts to regain control of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) fail. Ozel said his priority remains staying within the CHP, but warned that a separate political movement could become necessary if all available legal avenues are exhausted.
Speaking to reporters on 18 June, Ozel accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of exerting control over the CHP following a court ruling that annulled the party’s 2023 congress. The decision removed Ozel from the leadership position he won after defeating former CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
According to reports, Ozel’s camp will first wait to see whether the court-appointed CHP leadership complies with delegates’ demand to hold a party congress before the judicial recess begins on 20 July. If no congress is called, his supporters are expected to seek the appointment of a congress convening committee and attempt to overturn the court injunction affecting the party.
Should those efforts fail, Ozel’s team is expected to begin the process of creating a new political party. Reports indicate that most CHP lawmakers and supporters oppose Kilicdaroglu’s return to leadership.
The prospect of a new opposition party has triggered debate among political analysts and commentators. Some argue that launching a new movement would be difficult in Turkey’s current political environment and that opposition supporters should continue their struggle within the CHP. Others question whether a party already close to national power should risk fragmentation.
At the same time, some commentators point to polling suggesting that a potential party led by Ozel could outperform President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP in a general election. However, analysts say significant questions remain over the party’s ideological direction, voter appeal and positions on key issues, including relations with Kurdish voters and disaffected conservatives.
The coming weeks are expected to determine whether the conflict remains an internal CHP dispute or develops into a broader realignment of Turkey’s opposition landscape. If legal and political efforts inside the CHP fail, Ozel’s supporters could move toward creating a new party as early as the coming months.
