{"success":true,"data":{"id":"b1319bcf-c53c-48cc-a5e0-a3c38147d559","title":"Deposed leader of Turkish opposition announces new party to challenge Erdogan","summary":"ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition announced plans on Tuesday to create a new political party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.","content":"# Deposed leader of Turkish opposition announces new party to challenge Erdogan\n\nANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition announced plans on Tuesday to create a new political party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\n\nOzgur Ozel 's announcement came months after he was removed as leader of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, by a court order — a ruling critics say was a politically motivated effort to weaken the opposition. His ouster, and the reinstatement of the party's former and unpopular leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, sparked outrage among many CHP supporters.\n\n\"We are establishing our new party by taking the first step together with the deputies chosen by our nation,\" Ozel said in a speech to CHP lawmakers and other officials in parliament. \"These are the determined steps of a march toward governing Turkey.\"\n\nThe new political movement, which is expected to be called Yeni Parti, or New Party, will be formally launched later this week, according to reports.\n\n**READ MORE:**[Turkish police force entry into CHP offices, fire tear gas and rubber bullets](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/turkish-police-force-entry-into-chp-offices-fire-tear-gas-and-rubber-bullets)\n\nMany of the CHP's 135 legislators in the 600‑seat parliament were expected to defect and join the new party, which Ozel said would become the parliament's main opposition \"by a wide margin.\"\n\nAn appeals court in May annulled a 2023 party congress vote that appointed Ozel as CHP chair. The court decision, which cited alleged irregularities, reinstated Kilicdaroglu.\n\nOzel, 51, had succeeded the 77‑year‑old Kilicdaroglu after 13 years of what many analysts described as ineffective opposition to Erdogan. Ozel framed the court case as a legal attack on the CHP.\n\nCriminal investigations across the country — mostly alleging corruption in CHP‑run municipalities — have led to hundreds of elected officials and party members being detained, including Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, who is widely considered the strongest potential challenger to Erdogan. Imamoglu has been imprisoned since March last year and faces criminal cases that could result in decades-long sentences.\n\nThe government insists that Turkey's courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.\n\nErdogan, who has ruled Turkey for more than two decades, first as prime minister and later president, has rejected claims of a government intervention in the judiciary, describing the legal case that led to Ozel's ouster as an internal dispute within the CHP.\n\nUnder Ozel's leadership, the CHP delivered a significant blow to Erdogan's ruling party in the 2024 municipal elections, gaining several cities and strengthening its hold on key municipalities it first won five years earlier, including Istanbul and Ankara.\n\n A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. \n\nSupport trusted journalism and civil dialogue.\n\nLeft: FILE PHOTO: Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), speaks during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, March 11, 2026. Photo by Murad Sezer/REUTERS\n\nBy Lorne Cook, Associated Press\n\nBy Lorne Cook, Suzan Fraser, Abby Sewell, Seung Min Kim, Associated Press\n\nBy Serra Yedikardes, Associated Press\n\nBy Associated Press\n\nBy Associated Press\n\n## Go Deeper\n\nBy —\n\nSupport Provided By:[Learn more](https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000677869)\n\n### Educate your inbox\n\nSubscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.\n\nThank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.\n\n1.   Read Jul 21[WATCH LIVE: Hegseth, Caine testify on Trump's funding request as Iran war reignites](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-hegseth-caine-testify-on-trumps-funding-request-before-senate-as-iran-war-reignites)\n\n2.   Read Jul 21[WATCH: Trump meets with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-live-trump-meets-with-lebanese-president-joseph-aoun-in-the-oval-office)\n\n3.   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Breed, Dave Collins, Associated Press\n\nBy Sheikh Saaliq, Shonal Ganguly, Associated Press\n\nBy Associated Press","source_name":"PBS NewsHour","source_url":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/deposed-leader-of-turkish-opposition-announces-new-party-to-challenge-erdogan","url":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/deposed-leader-of-turkish-opposition-announces-new-party-to-challenge-erdogan","author":"Associated Press","author_name":"Associated Press","published_at":"2026-07-21T17:56:20.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-21T17:56:20.000Z","image_url":"https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2017/09/irma.a2017247.1724.1500m.jpg","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":4,"word_count":660,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot","language":null}}