Turkish opposition New Party’s new voting system sparks brawls in multiple districts

The New Party introduced a new intra-party election format that allows every member to vote for district chairpersons, abandoning the usual delegate-only system. The first round, held on Sunday, quickly descended into disorder as supporters of competing candidates clashed in several districts, including Esenyurt in Istanbul and Odunpazarı in Eskişehir. In Esenyurt, allegations of irregularities sparked a full-scale brawl, leading party officials to cancel the vote for security reasons.

A narrow three-vote margin in Odunpazarı triggered a requested recount, but another fight forced authorities to abandon the process and refer the matter to the party headquarters. Additional incidents occurred in Bursa’s Nilüfer district, where protestors wrote the name of the local party chair on ballots, and in Mezitli, Mersin, where a man was arrested after firing a weapon into the air during a scuffle. Party leader Özgür Özel, who founded the New Party after leaving the CHP, called the experiment “next-generation politics and direct democracy,” yet the chaotic start raises doubts about its viability.