Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (Turkish: pronounced [keˈmal kɯˌɫɯtʃ.daˈɾoːɫu] ⓘ; also referred to by his initials KK; born 17 December 1948) is a Turkish politician and former leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP). He was Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey between 2010 and 2023. He served as a member of parliament for Istanbul's second electoral district from 2002 to 2015, and as an MP for İzmir's second electoral district from 2015 to 2023.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu | |
|---|---|
Kılıçdaroğlu in 2023 | |
| Leader of the Main Opposition | |
| In office 22 May 2010 – 8 November 2023 | |
| President | Abdullah Gül Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Prime Minister | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Ahmet Davutoğlu Binali Yıldırım |
| Preceded by | Deniz Baykal |
| Succeeded by | Özgür Özel |
| Leader of the Republican People's Party | |
| In office 22 May 2010 – 8 November 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Deniz Baykal |
| Succeeded by | Özgür Özel |
| Vice President of the Socialist International | |
| In office 21 August 2012 – 13 December 2014 | |
| President | George Papandreou |
| Country | Turkey |
| Preceded by | Deniz Baykal |
| Succeeded by | Umut Oran |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 18 November 2002 – 14 May 2023 | |
| Constituency | İstanbul (II) (2002, 2007, 2011) İzmir (II) (Jun 2015, Nov 2015, 2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kemal Karabulut 17 December 1948 Ballıca, Nazımiye, Tunceli, Turkey |
| Political party | Republican People's Party (after 1999) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Left Party (until 1999) |
| Spouse |
Selvi Gündüz (m. 1974) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Ankara |
| Alma mater | Ankara Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences (Gazi University) |
| Occupation |
|
| Profession | Civil servant |
| Signature | |
| Nickname(s) | Gandhi Kemal Grey wolf Kemal Democratic uncle of the youth Piro Mr. Kemal |
Before entering politics, Kılıçdaroğlu was a civil servant and served as the director-general of the Social Insurance Institution from 1992 to 1996 and again from 1997 to 1999. He was elected to Parliament in the 2002 general election and became the CHP's parliamentary group leader. In the 2009 local elections, he was nominated as the CHP candidate to run for Mayor of İstanbul, but lost to the AKP.
After Deniz Baykal resigned as the party's leader in 2010, Kılıçdaroğlu announced his candidacy and was unanimously elected as the leader of the CHP. He was elected deputy chairman of the Socialist International in August 2012. He was seen as likely to modernize the CHP. Although the CHP saw a subsequent increase in its share of the vote, it was unable to unseat the ruling AKP. As leader of the main opposition, Kılıçdaroğlu attempted constructing big-tent coalitions with other parties, which culminated in the formation of the Nation Alliance and CHP's subsequent victories in the 2019 local elections. He was the CHP's and the Nation Alliance's joint candidate for the 2023 Turkish presidential election, but lost to incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. After his loss, he was voted out as leader of the CHP on 5 November 2023 and was replaced by Özgür Özel.