Ozel, the ousted leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), said on Tuesday that he would establish a new yet unnamed political party in a development likely to deepen a split within the main opposition camp.
The move poses the latest challenge for the CHP, which modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had established more than a century ago.
Speaking to MPs in parliament in Ankara, Ozel - who was removed as interim chairman of the party by a court ruling earlier this year - said he would consult provincial leaders and party officials before formally launching the movement.
It remains unclear how many of the CHP's 135 MPs will follow him, although analysts estimate about 80 deputies could defect.
This would make the new party the largest force in parliament.
Ozel said he decided to move forward with the new party after the appeals court went on summer recess without ruling on his challenge to his removal as chairman.
An Ankara court in late May annulled the CHP's 2023 party congress - where Ozel defeated longtime leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu - citing alleged procedural irregularities.
The court removed Ozel and reinstated Kilicdaroglu as interim chairman pending appeal.
Since returning, Kilicdaroglu has launched disciplinary proceedings against several senior figures aligned with Ozel, further fracturing the party.
Ozel meanwhile accused Erdogan's government of influencing the judiciary.
The government denies the charge, calling the dispute an internal CHP matter.
The CHP has however faced mounting pressure from the authorities since its victory in the 2024 local elections, with more than 25 CHP mayors arrested and several removed from office in corruption-related probes.
Among those detained is former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan's primary political rival.
His arrest last year sparked the largest anti-government protests in Turkey in more than a decade.
Imamoglu denies the allegations while opposition figures say the prosecution is politically motivated.
with Reuters
