Turkish Opposition Fractures as Özgür Özel Breaks away

Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down and would form a new political party, deepening the crisis within the Republican People's Party (CHP), the movement founded a century ago by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Özel's new party is expected to trigger a significant exodus of lawmakers and supporters from the CHP. He was removed as party chairman by a court ruling in May that annulled the CHP's 2023 party congress over alleged procedural irregularities and reinstated former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Özel and many opposition figures have condemned the ruling as a politically motivated “judicial coup”.

The growing pressure on the opposition has further weakened President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main rivals. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has remained in prison for more than a year, while hundreds of opposition mayors and local officials are facing criminal investigations or prosecution. Addressing Parliament, Özel said his resignation was “not a surrender” but the beginning of a new strategy for the opposition. He also pledged continued support for İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

Political analysts say the split is likely to benefit Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the short to medium term by dividing the opposition vote and improving the president's chances of consolidating power, potentially paving the way for early elections before the scheduled 2028 vote.

(Reuters, Max)