Last round of CHP drama: Who will lead Turkey’s largest opposition party?

Nov 01, 2023

∙ Paid

CHP head Kılıçdaroğlu speaking at his party’s group meeting Tuesday. © CHP

ANKARA – Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), is preparing to hold intra-party elections during its 57th congress in Ankara this weekend.

The main question on everyone’s mind is: Will current party chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu keep his seat or will “reformist” Özgür Özel take over?

When Özel announced his candidacy on Sep. 15, many – including his supporters – were skeptical about his chances of taking down KK. Yet after some recent developments, it looks like the winds have changed.

There are two main reasons Özel could be the next CHP leader:

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A guest post by

Eray Görgülü

Eray Gorgulu is a reporter based in Ankara covering the parliament beat for the T24 website. During his more than 20-year career in journalism, he has also covered defense and politics for several outlets including DW’s and Hurriyet.