Ozgur Ozel resigns from CHP to launch YENI Parti

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Türkiye’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), resigned from his position on Friday along with 90 other lawmakers to establish a new political organization named YENI Parti (New Party). The founding documents for the new movement were formally submitted to the Interior Ministry, and Ozel was elected as the party's chairman during an inaugural meeting held in Ankara.

The mass resignation, conducted via Türkiye’s e-Government system, is set to leave the CHP with only 44 seats, effectively ending its status as the country’s main opposition force. This political restructuring follows a May 2026 ruling by an Ankara court, which annulled the 2023 party congress that had originally elected Ozel as chairman and reinstated former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as the interim head of the CHP. This legal conflict triggered months of internal instability, leading directly to the current split.

The development marks a significant shift in the Turkish opposition landscape ahead of the 2028 presidential and parliamentary elections. While the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) maintains its position as the largest faction with 277 seats, the emergence of YENI Parti forces a complete reallocation of parliamentary committee roles and leadership structures.