Dozens of mayors are expected to join Türkiye’s emergent main opposition New Party following a historic split from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), as the new movement seeks to expand its local government presence.
Although no formal party switches have been announced yet, mayors from Çanakkale, Manisa, Denizli, Kastamonu, Artvin, Bilecik and Kırşehir have publicly expressed support for or signaled plans to join the party formed by ousted CHP leader Özgür Özel.
İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay previously resigned from the CHP and said he would continue his duties as an independent. In the country’s third-largest city, most of the 28 district municipalities run by the CHP are also expected to join the New Party, according to reports.
The expected transfers follow Özel’s departure from the CHP on July 24 along with 90 lawmakers to establish the New Party, dealing a major blow to Türkiye’s oldest political party and reshaping the balance of power in parliament.
The New Party enters the 600-seat legislature with 91 lawmakers, becoming the second-largest parliamentary bloc after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which holds 277 seats.
The CHP’s parliamentary presence fell to 44 seats, placing it behind the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) with 56 lawmakers and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) with 46.
Özel’s breakaway came two months after an Ankara court annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership election over allegations of vote-buying, removing Özel as leader and reinstating his defeated predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
According to the daily BirGün, nearly 200 mayors have expressed interest in joining the New Party, while the party’s parliamentary group is expected to grow to 100 lawmakers.
Earlier reports had suggested the New Party would initially avoid seeking mayoral transfers from the CHP to prevent disruptions in local administrations. Ongoing legal investigations targeting several CHP-run municipalities were also reportedly among the factors behind this approach.
A close ally of Özel and the CHP’s presidential candidate, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, has been jailed since March 2025 on graft allegations, along with hundreds of party officials. At least 27 CHP mayors are currently behind bars.
Meanwhile, a group of 265 former CHP lawmakers announced they had left the party over what they described as recent illegalities affecting the party.
“We wholeheartedly believe that the political movement led by our esteemed chairman Mr. Özgür Özel... will ignite a new torch of hope throughout Türkiye,” the former MPs said in a joint statement.
Özel was elected as the CHP’s parliamentary leader by his allies after losing the leadership. In a subsequent vote following his departure, MPs Faik Öztrak and Gürsel Erol competed for the position. After the second round, Erol withdrew, leaving Öztrak to assume the role.
