Ozel finally launches New Party

TURKEY - In Brief 21 Jul 2026 by Atilla Yesilada

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It is stating the obvious, but I need to write this Market Brief to put a footnote to Turkish political history. At an emotional and defiant speech at the parliamentary caucus, Ozel finally heralded that he is founding “a” or “the New” Party. Depending on the source 82 or 85 CHP MPs attended the meeting, out of its total seats of 135. Yet, sources close to Ozel Camp allege that the petition to High Election Council to notify the establishment of the New Party has already gathered 90 signatures, a number which is expected to reach 100 because some MPs are out of the country or on sick leave. As Ozel was making his historic announcement, Kilicdaroglu ally and Istanbul provincial chairman Gursel Tekin sacked 8 borough administrations, while Kilicdaroglu spokesperson Mr Muslim Sari urged the rebels not to divide the Ataturk’s party CHP; adding that the rebellion will not be tolerated. Exactly what he means by that will become clear in the coming days, because numerous rebel deputies fear that Erdogan’s judiciary will invent new legal precedents to put obstacles in front of the New Party. In his speech, Ozel also proclaimed that the New Party also symbolizes his march to power in the next elections, urging his followers to visit every hamlet in Anatolia to drum up support and explain the decision to voters. According to three recent polls, support for the New Party was measured at 35.6% in a survey conducted jointly by Rawest Research, the Istanbul Policy Research Institute, and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung; 34.9% in a Gundemar Research poll; and 33.8% in a MetroPoll Research survey. On the other hand, according to staunchly pro-government Genar, AK Party continues its stea...