TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

IFJ-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALISTS.WORLDDPRES WORLD TURKISH NEWS:WORLDDPRES ASTANA TIMES NEWS ÖZGÜR ÖZEL'S STRUGGLE AGAINST AUTOCRACY RECEIVES POSITIVE REACTIONS FROM THE TURKIC WORLD Struggling Turkish Opposition Tries to Reunite with New Party July 24, 2026 13:08 GMT+3 Updated July 24, 2026 Astana Times News Dismissed Opposition Leader and Supporters Visit Atatürk Mausoleum in Ankara The dismissed leader of the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, and his supporters visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, in Ankara on May 30, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz/File Photo Purchase License Rights, opens in new tab Summary Opposition leader and 91 MPs apply to form "New Party" Will be the second largest party in parliament after Erdoğan's AKP Court ruling cancels CHP's 2023 congress, removes Özel from leadership Unprecedented crackdown on opposition leaves hundreds in jail ANKARA, July 24 (Reuters) - Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel and 90 other breakaway MPs have formed a new political party aimed at reuniting to challenge President Tayyip Erdoğan after their former party faced unprecedented legal pressure. They applied to the Interior Ministry to form the party, called the New Party, in protest against a court ruling in May that canceled the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2023 congress and stripped Özel of his title as CHP chairman. The Reuters Daily Summary bulletin provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The Supreme Court of Appeals' Chief Prosecutor's Office confirmed Friday afternoon that the New Party is among the active political parties in Türkiye. The New Party has emerged as the second-largest party after Erdoğan's ruling conservative AK Party. The AK Party holds 277 of the 600 MPs in parliament, down from the previous 135 MPs of the secular CHP. TURKISH OPPOSITION FRAGMENTED The CHP is left with 44 MPs, including supporters of Özel, as well as those supporting Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a controversial figure and the party leader reappointed by the court. While the new party is expected to attract a large portion of CHP voters and pose a new challenge to Erdoğan, the broader fragmentation of the opposition could increase the likelihood of the president extending his 23-year rule in Türkiye, a NATO member state and regional military power. Advertisement · Scroll to continue "Today will be a significant turning point in Turkish political history," Ankara MP Murat Emir told reporters after he and others submitted their application. "We are leaving behind an occupied party." Özel and 90 other MPs resigned from the CHP, the party of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, this week. Speaking to reporters after the party's first meeting in Ankara, Özel said his party would support incarcerated Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate in the next election, scheduled for 2028 but possibly earlier. Özel noted that İmamoğlu was "chosen as a presidential candidate not by a single political party, but by more than 15 million people." Imamoglu, Erdoğan's biggest political rival and the Mayor of Istanbul, has been detained for over a year on corruption charges, which he denies. Days after his detention in March 2025, he was chosen as the CHP's presidential candidate through an internal party vote. His university degree, a requirement for presidential candidacy, was revoked by Istanbul University the day before his detention. Özel stated, "His candidacy faces a legal obstacle... We will work together with all the dynamics of the new party, including Imamoglu and (Ankara Mayor) Mansur Yavaş, to make the right decisions." Ankara Mayor Yavaş is seen as a potential rival to Erdoğan. In a message shared from his X account, Imamoglu, referencing a slogan Özel used when founding the new party, said, "Everything will be great. Let's get started, friends." The opposition and some human rights groups have described the crackdown, including the imprisonment of hundreds of elected CHP officials and members since 2024, as politically motivated and antidemocratic. The government denies these allegations and maintains the independence of the judiciary. Advertisement · Scroll down to continue