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Kemal Kilicdaroglu led Turkey’s largest opposition party, the CHP, for more than a decade – without winning an election. Now Özgür Özel replaced him. Who is the new man at the head of the party?
“We set out so that Erdogan and his AKP don’t rule forever!” Özgür Özel has been in election campaign mode for months. Here he is speaking in a coal mining area months after the presidential election, which his CHP lost. But that’s exactly what his party should no longer do: lose.
And no one can ensure that as well as he himself, says the new party leader: “I’m running for the chairmanship of the Republican Party not to gain power within the party, but to bring the CHP, Atatürk’s party, to power People’s Party.”
Declaration of war against the previous leadership
Before the election party conference, Özel knew exactly: running against the long-time previous chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu is a declaration of war. But in Özel’s eyes, it was no longer suitable for the future after the defeat in the presidential election because he didn’t want to work through his mistakes and just move on. “If we do not recognize the problem, are not self-critical and do not convince people that we have learned something new, the CHP and the entire political opposition will become unnecessary in the eyes of the voters,” he explained.
In Özel’s opinion, it is about nothing less than the existence of his CHP. After his election as the new chairman, which surprised many observers, he can now show how he is leading the CHP into a better future.
The 49-year-old pharmacist has been there for a long time. In 2009 he ran for the first time as a mayoral candidate in his hometown of Manisa in the west of the country. Five years later he ran again, but lost both elections.
In parliament since 2011
Özel has been a member of the Turkish national parliament since 2011. A few years later he became deputy chairman of his group. After the last election he was promoted to chairman. His predecessor Kilicdaroglu is no longer represented in parliament because of his candidacy for president.
For Özel, his election as parliamentary group leader was only half of the necessary change. The second is now added: Kilicdaroglu is no longer at the top of the party. “The change in the CHP is a prerequisite for change in the country,” says Özel. “And this is where our story begins.”
Özel wants a turnaround
It’s a different story than the previous one. Özel brands electoral alliances like those recently with right-wing parties as a mistake. And he no longer wants to compete with President Erdogan to see who the better nationalists are – but rather focus on poverty, unemployment and the welfare state.
In general, Erdogan: Özel considers him to be an opportunist who is also taking the wrong position – for example in the Middle East war: Özel also speaks of state terrorism in Israel’s actions, but: “We firmly reject Tayyip Erdogan’s statement “Hamas is not a terrorist organization. This is shameful for Turkey. Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
First Test in local elections in 2024
The largest opposition party, the CHP, will not be able to exert much influence on Turkish politics for the time being. The momentum of the new chairman may help her in the local elections next year in March. For Özel, even if he is not up for election himself, it will be the first test.