Former CHP leader Özgür Özel announces founding of new party Yeni Parti

Former CHP leader Özgür Özel leaves his old party and founds a new one. Many are likely to follow him. Will Erdoğan let him proceed?

Published: July 22, 2026 — 8:16 PM

Application for lifting his parliamentary immunity: Özgür Özel. Photo: Murad Sezer / Reuters

From Istanbul — Wolf Wittenfeld

"We are founding a party. It will be called Yeni Parti," said Özgür Özel. Yeni Parti means "New Party" in German.

During the parliamentary group meeting of his old party, the CHP, its deposed former party leader Özel announced his resignation on Tuesday with "great melancholy" — and the beginning of something new. "We fought for the CHP for a long time, but all democratic paths within the party were blocked," Özel explained his decision to found a new party.

The CHP deputies responded with a standing ovation. Cumhuriyet, the newspaper that was previously close to the CHP but now supports Özel, reported that up to 100, but at least 80, of the 132 CHP deputies will follow Özel.

The situation is similar among CHP membership. Of the approximately two million members, around one million had already declared their resignation from the CHP by Tuesday evening — and stated their intention to join Özel's Yeni Parti. More are likely to follow. They all refuse to accept the "hostile takeover" of their CHP by former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who, since a court ruling in May that led to Özel's removal, has been leading the party virtually on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Özgür Özel, who has distinguished himself as an outstanding opposition leader in recent years, naturally now wants to take the top position in his new party.

A Pharmacist by Trade

Özel is actually a pharmacist by trade. He comes from Manisa in western Turkey. He first became chairman of the Turkish Pharmacists' Association before being elected to parliament for Manisa in 2011. After the lost presidential election in 2023, he challenged the colorless Kılıçdaroğlu, who had repeatedly lost against Erdoğan — and won the party leadership in a contested vote.

Together with the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, he formed a young, dynamic party leadership that modernized and opened up the CHP. Success was not long in coming. In the nationwide local elections in 2024, the CHP won almost all of the country's major cities and also defeated the ruling AKP nationwide.

For the first time since 1977, the CHP was again the strongest party. Erdoğan saw his power threatened and drew his conclusions. At the end of 2024, the first CHP mayors were arrested on suspicion of being involved in corruption scandals. Then in March 2025 came the bombshell: Ekrem İmamoğlu, the country's most popular politician and Erdoğan's most promising rival, was also arrested, and the metropolis of Istanbul was put under massive pressure.

Organized Solidarity Campaign for İmamoğlu

Özgür Özel grew beyond himself in the following months and successfully organized a solidarity campaign for İmamoğlu and many other CHP mayors who were also arrested. A year later, it became too much for Erdoğan, and he had Özel removed as CHP chairman by a court in May and reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu as party leader by his grace.

Next week, Özel wants to register Yeni Parti; polls already predict approval ratings of 30 percent or more. However, it is questionable whether Erdoğan will allow the party to be founded. The ruling AKP party has applied for the lifting of his parliamentary immunity; Özel could therefore, like many other opposition politicians, end up in prison very quickly.

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