Türkiye’s oldest party will soon produce its newest. The “New Party,” as it has been tentatively dubbed by media outlets close to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is expected to be unveiled this week by Özgür Özel, who lost his seat at the helm of the CHP to his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in May. Prior to the announcement, lawmakers are calculating their political futures, with some undecided about whether to stay in the CHP or join Özel in the new party.
Since Kılıçdaroğlu retook the reins, he has worked to boost his support within the party, but Özel, who has been reduced to the post of parliamentary group chair, has long resisted the idea of leaving. The Özel camp believes he is the CHP’s only chance of winning the next presidential election, but the growing rift within the party is further diminishing that chance.
Özel is working to convince as many lawmakers as possible to join the new party, but some lawmakers are reportedly unwilling to leave the CHP. According to a report by the Sabah newspaper, they include lawmakers who earlier issued messages of support for Özel’s struggle to reclaim his chairmanship after a court ruled that his chairmanship was null and void over allegations of vote-buying in a 2023 election that brought him to power.
