“The future of the Turkish opposition is taking shape with a new face at its head. Indeed, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition party in Turkey, made a change of leadership during its last Congress. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had led the party for several years, was replaced by Ozgur Ozel, a former pharmacist whose political experience remains to be proven.
This change comes after the CHP’s electoral defeat against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last May. A defeat which sparked strong criticism within the party and which led to a questioning of the current leadership. The delegates therefore made the decision to turn to a new leader, Ozgur Ozel, who is relatively little known to the general public.
The CHP hoped to capitalize on this opportunity to overthrow Erdogan’s Islamo-conservative regime which has been in power for more than two decades. The May elections were marked by a severe economic crisis, attributed in part to President Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies.
Unfortunately, despite Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s efforts to bring together a diverse alliance including nationalists, socialists and Kurds, the CHP failed to mobilize enough voters. The internal divide within the party, as well as the support of Islamic and ultranationalist groups for Erdogan, allowed the Turkish president to consolidate his control over parliament.
The replacement of Kilicdaroglu by Ozel underlines the CHP’s desire to renew itself and adopt a new strategy to confront the regime in place. Ozel, a former pharmacist by profession, spent much of his career in Izmir, a city that is a stronghold of opposition to Erdogan. His election as head of the CHP is seen as a sign of change and renewal within the party.
However, it is important to note that the outcome of the congress was largely influenced by the personalities of the two candidates rather than specific policy ideas. Kilicdaroglu reacted strongly to his defeat, calling it a “stab in the back.” For his part, Ozel expressed his desire to “rewrite Turkish political history” and reshape the political landscape.
It is still too early to say whether this change in leadership will allow the CHP to bounce back and become a real counterweight to Erdogan’s government. Only time will tell if Ozel will manage to capitalize on this new opportunity and mobilize voters to bring real change to Turkey.”