The expected has happened. Speaking at the CHP parliamentary group meeting on 21 July, which he described as arriving “with the sadness of a farewell whose time has come,” Özgür Özel announced that he and his allies would establish a new political party. The party is expected to be formally launched by the beginning of
I am writing this fully aware that Özgür Özel may now face every conceivable obstacle ahead of him — from expulsion from the CHP to the lifting of his parliamentary immunity and even imprisonment. Yet the “absolute nullity” ruling issued by the judiciary does not appear likely to benefit either Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who has been
Politics in Türkiye has seen dark days before. The country witnessed the ruling caliph-sultan collaborating with occupying armies; in the words of Nazım Hikmet, it “saw fire and betrayal.” After the transition to multi-party politics, it was shaken by coups in the Cold War atmosphere. Parliament was shut down, political parties were banned, and politicians
“You are not a global leader, you are a local dictator,” Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel said to President Tayyip Erdoğan at a rally in İzmir on May 19, adding, “You will leave the way you came in.” Addressing nearly two million people on the 106th anniversary of the beginning