Deposed Turkish Opposition Leader Announces Plans for New Party

Is this a bold march toward power or a strategic disaster for Turkish democracy?

Published JUL 22

Deposed Turkish Opposition Leader Announces Plans for New Party

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Above: Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech in Ankara, Turkey, on July 21, 2026. Image credit: Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The CHP's crisis is the product of its own internal power struggles, not government interference. Turkish courts acted on allegations of irregularities in the party's 2023 congress, and the judiciary — not politicians — is responsible for enforcing the law. Özel's split exposes an opposition unable to govern itself, let alone Turkey. If the AKP benefits, it is because voters value stability over chaos.

Daily Sabah Anadolu Agency Turkish Press

Government-critical narrative

The court ruling that ousted Ozel and reinstated Kilicdaroglu is a textbook judicial coup designed to kneecap a surging opposition. The CHP had just delivered a historic blow to Erdogan's AKP in the 2024 local elections, and now the ruling party's fingerprints are all over an effort to fracture that momentum. Özel's new party isn't a retreat — it's a direct march toward power.

Turkish Minute Turkish Minute Human Rights Watch