Özel camp eyes new party by August as CHP rift widens
Ousted main opposition leader Özgür Özel has signaled he could move with his allies toward forming a new party by the end of July or early August, as an escalating leadership dispute within the Republican People’s Party (CHP) continues.
Forming a new party “will be a process that takes a week or two,” Özel said in televised remarks on SZC TV on July 14.
The dispute within Türkiye’s largest opposition party was triggered by a court ruling in May that annulled the CHP’s 2023 convention over alleged irregularities. The ruling reinstated former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his administration.
Özel’s faction has challenged the ruling and applied for the appointment of a committee to lead the party toward an extraordinary vote. The group has collected more than 800 signatures from party delegates demanding a new convention.
