New Turkish Opposition Party Challenges Erdogan and AKP

The New Party (Yeni Parti) holds 91 seats from its foundation in the 600-member parliament. This makes it immediately the second largest party in the country, behind the ruling Islamist AK Party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The CHP is left with only 44 parliamentarians.

By court order

The split is the result of a prolonged conflict over the leadership of the CHP. Tensions began after Özel was elected party chairman in 2023. A court later declared that party congress invalid and removed him from his position. Former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu was then reinstated as party leader by the court.

According to Özel and his supporters, the legal procedures were part of a broader state-led campaign to weaken the opposition. The Turkish government rejects those allegations and maintains that the judiciary operates independently. The disagreement over this has now become an important part of the political debate.

Rival

Also, the criminal cases against the CHP, several party-run municipalities, and the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, play a major role in the crisis. Özel and his new party continue to support Imamoglu as the main candidate to challenge Erdogan in future presidential elections.

Turning point

Under Özel’s leadership, the CHP earlier achieved a major victory in the 2024 municipal elections. That election result is considered an important turning point, after which the political and legal confrontations around the opposition further increased.

The new YP party presents itself as a continuation of the political course Özel has pursued in recent years. He stated that the move marks the beginning of a new form of resistance against the current conservative Turkish rulers.