Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said he is leaving the country’s main opposition party to create a new political force. The decision comes amid nearly two years of ongoing judicial persecution of President Tayyip Erdogan’s political opponents, Reuters reports.

This move, which had been widely expected, creates serious new problems for the Republican People’s Party (CHP), founded more than a century ago by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Most CHP voters and members of parliament are expected to follow Ozel into the as-yet-unnamed new party. This comes after a court in May stripped him of the chairmanship by annulling the results of the CHP’s 2023 congress.

Speaking in a fiery speech in parliament, Ozel stressed that his team’s departure from the CHP does not mean yielding to political pressure. On the contrary, it marks the beginning of a new stage in the opposition’s struggle against Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey uninterrupted for more than twenty years.

“Today we stand on the threshold of a sad farewell that has become inevitable and whose time has come. However, we want to share with the people our hope for a new beginning,” Ozel said, addressing more than 80 CHP lawmakers.

The court’s May ruling, citing irregularities in the conduct of the CHP congress, reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu as party chairman — the former leader who lost to Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election.

Ozel and critics of the current government called the court’s verdict a politically motivated “coup.” This came amid unprecedented judicial pressure on the CHP, during which Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — Erdogan’s main political rival — was arrested last year.

The government rejects such accusations, insisting that the judiciary is independent. However, the wave of prosecutions has already shaken financial markets and heightened concerns about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.

The crisis within the opposition ranks could strengthen Erdogan’s position and improve his chances of extending his tenure at the head of the NATO member state. The next elections are scheduled for 2028, although analysts note that they could be held earlier if the government decides to take advantage of the split within the CHP.