Özgür Özel regrets backing Lütfü Savaş in Hatay mayoral race

Former CHP leader Özgür Özel, who left the party to launch the Yeni Parti with 90 parliamentarians, appeared on journalist Fatih Altaylı’s programme and said his biggest regret was nominating Prof. Dr. Lütfü Savaş for the Hatay mayoral election. Özel explained that after polls placed Savaş first in Hatay, the party “blood‑ied” its hands to put him forward, but he later lamented the narrow loss, calling the decision a "mutlak butlan" (absolute nullification).

He added, “If my hands had been broken, I would not have nominated him,” and expressed that the mistake affected the whole of Turkey, not just Hatay. The comments highlight internal tensions within the new party and its relationship with the former CHP base.