Ozgur Ozel Says Preparations Under Way for Possible New Turkish Party

Ozgur Ozel said on July 15 that preparations are under way for the possible establishment of a new political party. The ousted chairman of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party made the remarks in an interview with Sozcu TV. Ozel stated that any formal step toward the new party would wait until after ongoing legal proceedings.

He said those proceedings, which include an appeal of the ruling that removed him from CHP leadership and a request for an extraordinary party congress, could be completed within a couple of weeks. In May a Turkish court annulled the CHP's 2023 congress that had elected Ozel chairman, citing irregularities, and reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu as party leader.

Kilicdaroglu lost the 2023 presidential election to President Tayyip Erdogan.

Ozel said that if the legal proceedings are blocked, a new party could then be set up. "A formal step could be taken towards the end of July or the beginning of August," he said.