CHP faces 'mutlak butlan' ruling as Özgür Özel prepares new party

Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) is embroiled in a legal dispute after the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals declared the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress absolutely null ("mutlak butlan"), effectively annulling its decisions and questioning the status of its elected leader, Özgür Özel. Özel and his supporters appealed; the case was forwarded to the Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargıtay). Due to the start of the judicial holiday, Yargıtay has postponed any substantive ruling until after the holiday ends on 1 September 2026.

During the same period Özgür Özel has been holding a series of internal meetings with provincial chairs, the party council, and MPs, discussing the formation of a new political movement. Reports indicate that a founding petition is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Interior on 27 July 2026, with the provisional name “Yeni Parti.” A trademark application for “Yeni Parti” was filed on 17 July 2026, though Özel’s team later denied any direct link to a social‑media account bearing that name. Media speculation suggests Özel may deliver a final speech at a CHP group meeting on Tuesday before potentially departing the party.