The main opposition party in Turkey, the Republican People's Party (CHP), has elected Özgür Özel as its new leader, succeeding Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who had led the party for 13 years. This comes as the country prepares for important local elections in March 2024. Özel, 49, has served as the deputy head of the CHP's parliamentary group since 2015 and has been a member of parliament since 2011. He announced his candidacy in September following the painful defeat of Kılıçdaroğlu and the CHP against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his governing political alliance in the presidential and general elections in May.
Özel received 812 votes out of a possible 1,366 during a tense party conference in Ankara that lasted for several hours and included two rounds of voting. Kılıçdaroğlu has faced criticism since his electoral defeat for refusing to step down from the leadership of the CHP, which was founded by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. During Kılıçdaroğlu's 13-year tenure, the CHP failed to surpass a historical ceiling of 25 percent support nationwide.
