Turkey’s ousted opposition leader says he is forming new party to take on Erdogan

Turkey's ousted opposition leader, Ozgur Ozel, announced on Tuesday his intention to form a new political party, two months after a controversial court ruling removed him from his leadership of the Republican People's Party (CHP). Ozel, who led the CHP for nearly three years, stated that the new party aims to become the main opposition force in the Grand National Assembly. The Ankara court's May ruling, which annulled the CHP's November 2023 leadership election over vote-buying allegations and reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has been criticized as an attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to suppress political opponents. Ozel is expected to submit an application to the interior ministry soon, with political insiders anticipating that 83-85 CHP lawmakers will join his new faction, potentially making it the second-largest parliamentary party.