Politics
New Party’s journey into the unknown begins in Turkish politics
Özgür Özel launched his New Party (YP) with a heavy dose of symbolism on Friday, but the political future of the former chairperson of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will possibly be tested two years from now in general elections. Although he has already secured the title of chairperson of the Turkish Parliament’s second-largest party by luring 91 lawmakers to his side, Özel will have to take on the formidable Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has never lost an election in more than two decades, except for the 2024 municipal vote.
His adventure in Turkish politics may be worthy of a series by a certain streaming service whose logo was partially “borrowed” for the logo of the new party, but people will understandably look forward to seeing how it ends, or fares, in the next election, scheduled for 2028. Özel was a virtual nobody in Turkish politics until 2011, when he was elected as a CHP lawmaker. For a long time, he remained a low-profile politician. The 51-year-old lawmaker steadily climbed the career ladder within the party through his work on parliamentary committees as an outspoken deputy. In 2018, he was elected head of the party’s parliamentary group, a post from which he was demoted again when Kılıçdaroğlu made his comeback last May.
A string of factors with multiple effects will impact the YP’s chances, and the most important among them is the choice of a presidential candidate. Özel rallied supporters around former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu while he was still leading the CHP and even set up a “presidential candidate office” for the mayor, who was arrested in 2025 on corruption charges. Based on the course of his multiple trials, ranging from municipal corruption to espionage, Imamoğlu is unlikely to leave prison anytime soon. Even if he is acquitted of all charges within two years, he will still be ineligible to run for the top office, as a court previously canceled his university diploma after finding it to be fake.
Another rumored candidate is Mansur Yavaş, the CHP mayor of the capital, Ankara. Yet Yavaş has not left the party, although he has appeared supportive of the new party. Özel specifically mentioned his name in speeches leading up to the establishment of the YP, describing him as a key supporter, while Yavaş merely made a phone call to Özel on Saturday to congratulate him. Yavaş and Imamoğlu are viewed as Özel’s options for persuading disillusioned supporters of other parties, especially conservative and nationalist voters, due to their backgrounds, which are more aligned with those groups than the “social democrats” of the CHP.
This raises more questions: What are the political views of the YP, and how can it convince voters beyond Özel’s die-hard fans to vote for it? Özel himself may be declared the presidential candidate for the next election, as he appears to be adopting a new rhetoric brimming with self-confidence about defeating the AK Party. For Özel, it is just a matter of time, and he is counting on widespread support reflected in opinion polls, which still place his party behind the AK Party. The YP has not yet shed its “CHP” image, as Özel summed up the party’s political views as embracing voters from a wide political spectrum without mentioning any specific features that would distinguish those views from “old-school” CHP ideology. On the contrary, he pledged his commitment to the principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the CHP, in his last speech before the party’s inauguration, something the main opposition party has tapped into for years to garner votes from so-called “secular” voters.
Özel knows that he has to adhere to CHP ideology, at least for a while, to keep his current voter base intact. This was evident in his choice of the path taken by Atatürk, the founder of the CHP, more than a century ago as he led the establishment of the Turkish Parliament. Özel visited the tomb of the famed Ankara-based mystic Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, as Atatürk did, and walked to Parliament’s first building. On Saturday, he also visited Atatürk’s mausoleum. Moreover, he made it clear that he chose Friday to formally inaugurate the YP because it was the anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, which defined the borders of the new Türkiye after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Özel also seeks to cultivate credibility by claiming that his comrades have been subjected to political pressure through a string of trials, including the Imamoğlu trial and the case that cost him his seat in the CHP over allegations of vote-buying in the 2023 intra-party election in Türkiye’s oldest party.
How much these factors will translate into more votes for the YP remains to be seen, especially given Turkish voters’ tendency not to easily change their preference for one party overnight. Political pundits say that the YP may not be very tempting for older CHP voters. A lingering rivalry between the CHP and the YP may eventually play into the hands of the AK Party, as the two parties hope to secure votes from the same voter base, although neither may have enough support on its own to surpass the AK Party. This is especially true as Özel seems intent on not forming an opposition bloc like former CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu did in the 2023 elections, which he lost. Apart from the AK Party, the YP’s closest rivals will be the government’s ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the Good Party (IP). Other smaller parties, such as the New Welfare Party (YRP) and the Key Party (A Party), which have the potential to be dark horses in the next election, are not expected to join an alliance anyway. An alliance with the DEM Party may boost the YP, but the DEM Party also appears unwilling, especially as it now focuses on the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative launched by the People’s Alliance of the AK Party and the MHP.
The YP also lacks the resources that well-established parties have, including Treasury aid, and forming a nationwide organization (opening new offices, finding new delegates and so on) will be a challenge for Özel.
In conclusion, Özel will have to walk a cautious line to achieve success and burnish his credentials to prove that his party has a chance of defeating the AK Party. So far, he has not offered anything new to voters disillusioned with the government and others, other than “inviting” them to vote for the YP. Not kicking them can be a good start, as YP lawmaker Mustafa Sarıgül demonstrated during a quarrel between supporters and those booing Özgür Özel as he was leaving a mosque after Friday prayers in Ankara.
Israel has sparked outrage with new activities in violation of Syria’s sovereignty. The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s resumption of activities along the so-called Sufa 53 line in Syria’s Quneitra province, saying the move was aimed at creating new faits accomplis in the country.
“We strongly condemn Israel’s erosion of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement by resuming its activities along the so-called ‘Sufa 53 line’ in Syria’s Quneitra province and its attempts to create new faits accomplis in Syria,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It called on the international community to take effective and decisive steps without delay to end Israel’s expansionist policies that escalate tensions in the region and to ensure its withdrawal from occupied Syrian territory. Ankara stressed that it would resolutely continue to support Syria’s sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity and, together with countries in the region, continue taking the necessary steps.
Israeli forces restarted excavation work Sunday west of al-Asha village in Syria’s southern Quneitra as part of a project known as the “Sufa Line,” or “Sufa 53,” according to Syria Alikhbaria TV. Military vehicles and bulldozers were seen digging near the separation line with the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, extending a route that runs through rural communities from northern to southern Quneitra. For residents, the project has meant the loss of agricultural land, damage to grazing areas and vegetation, and changes to the natural flow of rainwater in a province where many families depend on farming and livestock.
Israel began work on Sufa 53 in mid-2022 near Hadr in northern Quneitra before extending it south through areas near Jubata al-Khashab, al-Hamidiyah, Qahtaniyah, Bir Ajam and Bariqa toward al-Asha. The project includes a military road roughly 8 meters wide, deep trenches, earth berms reaching about 5 meters in height, observation posts and military positions. Israel claims that the fortifications are designed to prevent possible attacks by Iran-backed armed groups.
Construction continued after the fall of the Baathist regime in December 2024 and intensified as Israeli forces expanded their presence in and around the area of separation in southern Syria. Syrian accounts say Israeli troops have moved between 300 and 1,000 meters into the area in some locations as work on the project expanded.
The impact has been particularly severe on agricultural communities. Local authorities previously estimated that around 12,000 dunams (1,200 hectares) of land in northern and central Quneitra had been affected by Israeli construction. In Jubata al-Khashab alone, local officials said around 7,000 dunams (700 hectares) of land had been lost, while another 6,000 dunams (600 hectares) belonging to al-Hamidiyah and al-Hurriyah were taken over for the project. Residents have also reported extensive damage to grazing land, trees and wild vegetation that had provided an important source of income for local families.
Quneitra media director Mohammad al-Saeed previously told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the project had caused widespread damage across the province, while access to affected areas remained limited. Mohammad Mazen Maryoud, mayor of Jubata al-Khashab, said the trenches had disrupted rainwater flows and contributed to soil erosion, directly affecting farming and livestock. Residents also say the construction has come alongside repeated Israeli raids, detentions, checkpoints and restrictions on access to agricultural land.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the renewed work on Sufa 53, describing it as a “flagrant breach” of the 1974 disengagement agreement and a violation of international resolutions. The ministry warned that continued Israeli incursions and military activity threatened regional security and stability and undermined international law. Damascus reaffirmed its right to exercise sovereignty over all Syrian territory and urged the international community to uphold Syria’s territorial integrity and act against continued Israeli violations.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said on Monday that 89 people wanted in connection with ordinary and terrorism-related crimes were extradited to Türkiye from 16 different countries during the third quarter of 2026, covering the period from July 1 to Sept. 30.
“With this, the total number of people brought to Türkiye during the first nine months of 2026 reached 294,” Gürlek said.
Gürlek shared the figures for the third quarter and first nine months of 2026 concerning the extradition of criminals who fled abroad in a post on his NSosyal account.
“There is nowhere for criminals to hide,” Gürlek said, adding that Turkish justice would sooner or later take the necessary action. Gürlek said Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was continuing its fight against crime and criminals with the same determination beyond its borders, adding that all available means were being mobilized to apprehend fugitives abroad and bring them back to Türkiye.
Gürlek said the extradition processes were being followed without compromise, stating: “Through efforts led by our Justice Ministry and carried out in coordination with our Interior and Foreign Ministries, we are closely and continuously monitoring the extradition processes of criminals who have fled abroad. On July 1, we said, ‘Those who think they can commit crimes and escape justice will not feel safe no matter where in the world they hide.’ We have not wavered from this determination over the past three months.
“During the third quarter of 2026, covering the period from July 1 to Sept. 30, 89 people wanted in connection with ordinary and terrorism-related crimes were extradited to Türkiye from 16 different countries. Of these, 48 were brought from Georgia, 12 from Germany, 10 from Greece and three from the United Kingdom. Thus, the total number of people brought to Türkiye during the first nine months of 2026 reached 294. During this period, Georgia ranked first with 137 people, followed by Germany with 67, Greece with 19, Montenegro with nine, Bulgaria with eight and the United Kingdom with five.”
Gürlek said Türkiye would continue to observe the principle of reciprocity in international judicial cooperation and take into account how justified extradition requests were reciprocated.
“No matter which criminal organization they belong to or which country they flee to, we will not stop pursuing terrorists, members of organized crime groups, fraudsters and criminal elements seeking to undermine the peace and security of our people,” he said.
Türkiye particularly seeks extradition of members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) scattered across the world when the crackdown escalated on the group, especially after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt it carried out with its military infiltrators.
According to the Justice Ministry, Turkish judicial authorities have so far prepared 2,950 extradition requests involving 2,765 suspects and submitted them to 119 countries.
The largest number of requests were sent to Germany, the United States and Belgium. Authorities submitted 777 extradition files to Germany, 428 to the United States and 142 to Belgium.
However, many of the requests have either been rejected or remain unresolved. Germany has rejected 519 requests, while 355 cases submitted to the United States are still pending, according to ministry figures.
One of the most significant obstacles remains the position of Interpol. Turkish authorities have repeatedly sought Red Notices for wanted FETÖ members, but none have been approved by Interpol’s General Secretariat.
Turkish officials point to a 2018 decision by Interpol’s Executive Committee, which concluded that requests related to FETÖ could fall under Article 3 of the organization’s constitution, prohibiting intervention in matters considered political in nature.
Foreign governments have frequently cited asylum status, citizenship protections, concerns over alleged political motivations and potential risks of mistreatment as reasons for rejecting extradition requests.
Türkiye’s opposition New Party (YP) is facing growing internal tensions during its ongoing provincial and district congresses, with disputes over membership numbers, leadership and voting procedures emerging in several provinces.
The latest disagreements surfaced in the southern province of Antalya and the western province of Izmir, following tensions at party congresses in Trabzon, Istanbul, Eskişehir and Mersin.
In Antalya, Nail Kamacı, the party’s acting provincial chair, questioned a sharp increase in membership ahead of the provincial congress.
Speaking at the party’s first ordinary district congress in Konyaaltı, Kamacı said 10,000 of the party’s 27,000 members in the province had joined within the past 35 days.
“Why? For the provincial chairmanship,” Kamacı said, arguing that the increase did not represent a “healthy” membership figure.
In late July, Özgür Özel launched the New Party after being ousted from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) following a court ruling that invalidated the party’s previous congress.
Özel had led the CHP to a historic victory in the 2024 local elections, winning control of several major municipalities, including Istanbul, Ankara and other major urban centers. After the split, he argued that the YP could build on that momentum and develop into a broader political movement.
Tensions also emerged in Izmir, where former Izmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu sharply criticized the New Party Izmir provincial chair, Çağatay Güç, during the party’s district congress in Urla.
Kocaoğlu accused the provincial leadership of engaging in political maneuvering and called on party members to field an alternative candidate.
“Izmir is nobody’s property,” Kocaoğlu noted, urging members to replace the current provincial leadership.
A separate dispute erupted during an internal party vote in Izmir’s Buca district.
An argument between supporters of rival candidates broke out following the vote count and escalated into a physical confrontation. Party members and security personnel intervened to separate the sides.
The disputes follow tensions at several other New Party congresses, including in Mersin, where gunshots were reportedly heard during unrest surrounding a district congress last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that two Russian drones struck a Turkish-owned civilian vessel carrying corn in neutral waters in the Black Sea, killing the ship’s captain.
Zelenskyy said Azerbaijani and Indian nationals were aboard the vessel at the time of the attack.
Eleven crew members were rescued, including one who was injured, while the fate of another person was initially unknown, he said in a statement on social media platform X.
The Ukrainian leader described the vessel as a Turkish-owned civilian ship carrying corn and said it was sailing in neutral waters when it was hit by two Russian drones.
Ukraine had proposed measures aimed at reducing tensions and improving security in the Black Sea, and that proposals had also been put forward by third countries, Zelenskyy said.
He accused Russia of choosing attacks rather than ensuring the safe passage of civilian vessels and called for international pressure to restore security in the Black Sea and protect global food supplies.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns over commercial shipping in the Black Sea as the Russia-Ukraine war continues.
Türkiye extended condolences to the people of Nigeria on Monday and said that it is “deeply saddened” over a deadly military aircraft crash in its Ondo state.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives resulting from the crash of a military aircraft today in Ondo state of Nigeria,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement also offered the nation’s condolences to those who lost their relatives in the accident and to the people of Nigeria.
A military helicopter crashed in the southwestern state of Ondo on Monday, according to Jimoh Abayomi, public relations officer for the state police.
Abayomi said an investigation into the accident had been launched and that security forces had been deployed to the crash site.
Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo told reporters that the helicopter crashed near the Igbokoda Naval Base.
He said 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, adding that the wreckage had been located and search and rescue operations in the area are ongoing.
Keyamo did not provide any information on casualties or injuries from the crash.
However, media reports quoted the African country’s president, Bola Tinubu, as saying that all 32 people on board lost their lives.
The crash was seen as one of the worst air disasters in recent years in Africa’s most populous country.
“The president extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved,” Tinubu’s office said in a statement.
A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river while rescuers searched the area by boat.
The president said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences.”
Three suspects, including a former deputy head of Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), have been jailed as part of an investigation into alleged political or military espionage involving the agency’s financial intelligence systems.
Former MASAK Deputy Chair Inönü Akgün Alp and agency employees Eda Aydoğan and Güner Eke were arrested as authorities investigate alleged unauthorized access to MASAK’s Integrated Financial Intelligence System, known as EMIS.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating claims that individuals and companies linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) gained influence over the development and maintenance of MASAK’s critical digital infrastructure between 2012 and 2018.
According to findings cited in the investigation, Aydoğan, a former MASAK statistician, allegedly had administrator-level access to an Oracle Exadata database between 2016 and 2019 despite holding no managerial position.
The investigation also found that a security mechanism designed to alert senior officials when financial information belonging to politically exposed persons was accessed was disabled on Sept. 2, 2016.
Investigators allege that thousands of unauthorized searches involving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, members of his family and some Cabinet officials were subsequently conducted through EMIS between September 2016 and December 2018.
Financial investigations by police and cybercrime units also uncovered alleged links between FETÖ and subcontracted technology companies responsible for MASAK’s software infrastructure and database management.
Türkiye’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) was appointed as trustee to several technology companies, whose partners included Hakan Çiçek, group’s civilian imam accused of playing a key role in the 2016 coup attempt detained at Akıncı Air Base, as well as other FETÖ operatives.
According to official reports cited in the investigation, the companies channeled TL 210 million ($4.3 million) to the group through public contracts.
Investigators also found that audit logs designed to record who accessed the systems had been disabled and identifying data deleted. The network is accused of erasing digital traces of unauthorized access involving senior government officials, including the president.
Investigators further allege that audit logs identifying users accessing the systems were disabled or deleted, making it more difficult to trace unauthorized searches.
Separately, witness testimony included in the case file alleges Aydoğan was involved in distributing questions ahead of a 2013 public personnel examination to individuals linked to FETÖ.
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