Türkiye’s highest legal body, the Constitutional Court, gave the main opposition New Party (Yeni Parti), abbreviated as YP, 30 days to present a defense in a lawsuit over its name. The Innovation Party (Yenilik Partisi), also abbreviated as YP, requested that New Party change its name, filing a complaint with the General Prosecution Office of the Supreme Court of Appeal, citing concerns that the name of the party founded last July may cause confusion among voters. The office asked New Party to change its name, stating that a request by another political group seeking to establish a “New Party” in 2024 was rejected upon the objection of Innovation Party. The General Prosecution Office is the top authority for registering political parties. When New Party failed to comply with the order, the office took the case to the Constitutional Court.
After New Party presents its defense to the Constitutional Court, the court will reassess whether the name violates laws governing the names of political parties. If a violation is found, the New Party will be mandated to change its name.
The Innovation Party was founded by former Ambassador Öztürk Yılmaz in 2020. Yılmaz served as a lawmaker with the Republican People’s Party (CHP) between 2015 and 2018, before Özgür Özel became CHP chair. Özel was forced out of office last May when a court ruled that his tenure should be nullified over allegations of vote-buying in a 2023 intra-party election. Özel initially planned to fight the verdict through an appeal process but later declared the founding of the New Party with the participation of dozens of lawmakers from CHP, now making it the main opposition party in Parliament.
