Ousted Turkey opposition leader says to form new party

Turkey's ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel on Tuesday said he would form a new party, two months after a controversial court ruling removed him from his post.

In a farewell address to parliament, Ozel, who had led the Republican People's Party (CHP) for nearly three years, said the country stood at "a historic crossroads".

"Once the necessary procedures are completed, the new party we are about to establish will become the main opposition force in the Grand National Assembly by a wide margin," he said.

Turkey's oldest political party has been battling a deepening crisis since a court in May removed its elected chairman and reinstated his defeated predecessor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The highly controversial ruling by an Ankara court annulled the CHP's 2023 leadership election over allegations of vote-buying.

Critics viewed the move as the latest attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to weaken his political opponents.

The decision has fuelled concerns about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.

According to reports, Ozel is to submit an application to establish the new party to the interior ministry on Monday.

The party is expected to be called the "New Party", with its founding council to consist primarily of members of parliament.