Ozgur Ozel Elected as New Leader of Turkey's Main Opposition Party Amid Criticism of Previous Leadership

Ozgur Ozel, elected with 812 of 1,366 votes, vows to "compensate for the great sadness" of the party's recent election defeat as he prepares for March 2024 local elections, trying to hold onto the cities the party won in 2019.

Ozgur Ozel has been elected as the new leader of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), replacing Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Ozel secured 812 of 1,366 delegate votes in an election held in Ankara.
The leadership change took place after Kilicdaroglu, who had led the party since 2010, received criticism for not stepping down after losing the general elections in May to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The CHP failed to capitalize on the country's dire economic situation and the fallout from the February's earthquakes to oust Erdogan.
In his winning speech, Ozel promised to mobilize the party and “compensate for the great sadness” of the May election defeat. He vowed a brighter political future and to “make people smile.”
Support for Ozel’s leadership was notably led by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent figure in the party and a critic of the way the party ran the May election campaign.
The party will now prepare for local elections in March 2024 under Ozel's leadership. In the local elections of 2019, the CHP managed to secure significant victories, taking a handful of major cities, including Ankara and Istanbul.