Özgür Özel's Prospective Party Gains Poll Support Amid Internal CHP Tensions

CHP officials warned that a split led by Özgür Özel could repeat the failures of past breakaway movements such as those of Mustafa Sarıgül and Muharrem İnce. Party leaders said the process would harm both the CHP and the wider opposition, and noted that President Erdoğan’s influence over Ekrem İmamoğlu was a factor in the internal debate.

A recent Asal Araştırma poll of 2,000 respondents found that if Özel were to launch a new party, 21.4 % of voters would support it, while 31.8 % would turn to the AKP and only 10.9 % would stay with the CHP. The poll also listed vote shares for other minor parties.

In a speech in Safranbolu, Özel condemned what he described as a “coup attempt” by the incumbent government against the future opposition, accusing the administration of using the judiciary to undermine the CHP and warning of a growing climate of fear. He pledged to resist any attempts to marginalise the party and reiterated his intention to lead the CHP for years to come.