New Party Brings Fresh Hope – and Risks – for Turkey’s Embattled Opposition

“We opened up a new road because they blocked all the others. We are opening up that road now. Are you ready to march to power? We will march to power.” With these stirring words, Ozgur Ozel told his parliamentary group on July 21 he was leaving the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, to establish a new party. Its name, logo and other details will be announced at a later date, after which various CHP MPs are expected to join it. An estimated 80 to 90 of the CHP’s 135 MPs are likely to switch sides. Ozel, who was removed as CHP leader following a controversial court ruling in May, predicted that his new party would immediately become the largest opposition group in parliament. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us