Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced Wednesday that he is stepping away from party politics and ending the political activities of the Future Party (GP), arguing that Türkiye's political system has become incapable of reforming itself.
In a statement posted on social media, Davutoğlu said the decision followed consultations with the party's leadership and members.
"We have decided to withdraw from party politics and terminate the Future Party's political activities," he said.
Davutoğlu argued that the country's political landscape is trapped between the concentration of power on one side and the fragmentation of alternative political forces on the other. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lost a majority of its lawmakers after chairman Özgür Özel formed the New Party (YP) after being ousted as party leader in May following a court ruling. Tensions remain high between the two parties as CHP stands to lose more members. Media reports say that around 200 CHP mayors across Türkiye are expected to join the YP soon, while 264 former CHP lawmakers pledged their loyalty to the new party in a joint statement on Monday. The YP is also expected to attract more CHP lawmakers in the coming days, potentially increasing its parliamentary group to around 100 members and further diminishing the CHP's status in Parliament.
He said Türkiye's political mechanisms have largely lost the ability to correct themselves and warned that the country's three major ideological traditions – conservatism, nationalism and modernization – are facing an existential test.
He stressed that the move should not be interpreted as surrender or an abandonment of politics.
"This is not a decision of surrender. It is a decision to establish moral distance," he said. "This is not giving up on politics, but a call for everyone to rethink politics."
Davutoğlu said his political struggle would continue outside party structures through work in areas including education, culture, diplomacy, economics and social solidarity.
"Our struggle did not begin with any office, nor will it end with the legal existence of any political party," he said.
The Future Party's dissolution is unlikely to significantly alter Türkiye's political landscape, where nearly 190 registered political parties are active. However, only a small number wield meaningful electoral influence or hold seats in the legislature, with most remaining minor parties lacking a nationwide political presence.
