With 812 votes to 536 in the second round of the CHP congress, parliamentarian Özgür Özel replaces former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu – something the latter likens to a “knife in the back”. Kemal Kilicdaroglu sat as leader for 13 years.
In the first round, Özel received 682 votes and Kilicdaroglu 664 votes.
– This is the greatest honor of my life, Özel said after the results were announced. He also thanked Kilicdaroglu for his work in the party.
From pharmacist to politician
49-year-old Özgür Özel worked as a private pharmacist until he entered politics. He has been the CHP’s deputy chairman of the parliamentary group since 2015 and has been a lawmaker since 2011. He announced his candidacy in September, following Kilicdaroglu and the CHP’s defeat of President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling political alliance in presidential elections in May.
See more about the fired Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the clip below from last spring.