Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel announced he will launch a new political party, breaking from the Republican People's Party (CHP) after a court in May declared his 2023 party congress invalid and removed him as chairman.
Özel, who addressed CHP lawmakers in parliament for the last time on Monday, plans to submit a formal registration petition to the Interior Ministry as early as Friday. Between 70 and 90 of the CHP's 135 members of parliament are expected to defect to the new party, which may be called the New Party. Özel will serve as chairman, leading a management team drawn from lesser-known figures.
To qualify for the next general election, currently scheduled for 2028, the party must organise in at least 41 provinces and hold a founding congress. The upheaval follows a turbulent period for the CHP, with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reinstated as interim chairman and more than 25 CHP mayors, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, currently imprisoned.