Türkiye’s emerging opposition New Party will start its congress process on Aug. 22, according to spokesperson Zeynel Emre, with its first national convention slated for mid-November.
Anyone joining the party by Aug. 26 will be eligible to vote in the congresses, Emre announced during an Aug. 19 press conference at parliament.
District congresses are scheduled for Sept. 12, followed by provincial congresses on Oct. 18. The process is expected to be completed by Oct. 27, after which the party’s administration will set a date for the national convention, according to Emre.
The convention is planned for mid-November, daily Milliyet reported.
The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by New Party leader Özgür Özel on Aug. 18.
The party plans to make its membership the central element of its organizational structure. According to Milliyet, delegates will largely serve a technical function required under the Political Parties Law, while members will directly elect district and provincial party chairs as well as the party leader.
The party is also working with its members on the voting system to be used at its first convention and whether it can be implemented in time for the gathering.
On July 24, then Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel resigned along with 90 lawmakers to establish the New Party. His departure came two months after an Ankara court annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership election over alleged irregularities, removing Özel as chair and reinstating former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
At the New Party’s first televised parliamentary meeting Aug. 4, Özel pledged to end what he called the current political system and replace it with a “new generation of politics.”
“The New Party will change the way politics is conducted in Türkiye. The old understanding of politics will come to an end,” Özel told lawmakers.
The New Party has since emerged as the main opposition force, becoming the second-largest party in parliament by number of seats.
“I invite everyone who wants to have a say on the future of our country,” Özel said at the time.
