Turkish opposition to vote on new leader as it mulls change of strategy

Source:Financial Times Date:04Nov2023

More than 1,300 delegates will vote at the CHP Congress on Saturday on who should lead the party into the March vote in which Erdoğan’s Justice and Development party (AKP) will seek to retake control of Turkey’s largest cities: Istanbul and Ankara. The CHP seized both from the AKP in 2019 as voters punished Erdoğan’s party for Turkey’s economic woes.

Özgür Özel, a former pharmacist and CHP lawmaker, will be Kılıçdaroğlu’s main challenger in the race for party chair, analysts say. Özel, 49, who was once seen as a Kılıçdaroğlu ally, has campaigned for change both in the party’s strategic direction but also in how the party itself is managed. Berk Esen, a political-science professor at Istanbul’s Sabancı University, said Özel was “gaining traction” in the leadership race.