The YENİ Party founded by Özgür Özel in the world press: 'A new search in the opposition'

Özgür Özel's departure from the Republican People's Party (CHP) to found the YENİ Party with 90 deputies has received extensive coverage in the international press. The development was assessed by foreign news agencies as an attempt at restructuring the opposition in Turkey and a step that alters the balance of power in Parliament.

In its report, Reuters stated that Özel and the deputies accompanying him submitted the YENİ Party's founding application to the Ministry of Interior following the court decision that canceled the CHP congress. The report noted that the party's commencement of operations was confirmed by the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation and that it has become the second-largest group in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) with 91 deputies.

The agency's analysis commented that the new party could attract a significant portion of the CHP electorate and create a new challenge against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, Reuters also included an assessment that a wider division within the opposition could strengthen the possibility of extending Erdoğan's rule.

EMPHASIS ON PARLIAMENTARY ARITHMETIC

Associated Press reported the development with the headline that Özel founded the YENİ Party "to challenge Erdoğan." AP wrote that Özel's supporters view his removal from office as a political move aimed at weakening the opposition. The report stated that the founding of the new party serves as a direct response to the court decision.

AP also reported that investigations into CHP-run municipalities over the last two years are viewed by Özel's supporters as part of a broader crackdown on the opposition. The report also included the government's statements asserting that the judiciary is independent.

Deutsche Welle also wrote that Özel left the CHP with 90 deputies to form the second-largest party in parliament. DW drew attention to the change in parliamentary arithmetic, noting that the number of CHP deputies fell from 135 to 44, while the DEM Party moved ahead of the CHP with 56 deputies.

The report recalled that the CHP was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, while noting that Özel's decision to split came after internal party divisions and the judicial process.

News Source: 12punto