Why Turkey's new opposition party is both good and bad news for Erdogan

Why Turkey's new opposition party is both good and bad news for Erdogan Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 14:35 The new party could surpass the ruling AKP in polls, but opposition divisions may give Erdogan a path to victory In a handout photo on 11 June 2024, then-leader of the Republican People's Party, Ozgur Ozel, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shaking hands in Ankara (AFP/Turkish Presidency Press Service) Off Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel announced on Tuesday that he will launch a new political party after a court removed him as chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in May, deepening a split within the country's main opposition. The announcement follows months of prosecutions targeting the CHP through a series of investigations that have led to the arrest of 26 opposition mayors on corruption charges, including Istanbul's popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu . A separate case alleged that Ozel was elected party chairman through bribery and irregular lobbying.