Ozgur Ozel, the deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), announced on Tuesday that he is formally resigning from the party to establish a new political party. Ozel intends to use the new party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and mobilize an opposition currently reeling from internal strife.
The announcement follows a court order in May that annulled the CHP's 2023 congress, which had originally elected Ozel as chairman. The court cited irregularities and reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the party's former leader who lost to Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election. Critics have called the court order politically motivated, as it occurs amid a nearly two-year legal crackdown on the president's political opponents.
During a fiery speech to CHP lawmakers in parliament, Ozel described the departure as a sad but inevitable farewell and expressed hope for a new beginning. This move signals a potentially historic rupture for the CHP following months of infighting over its leadership.