Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
MP
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 May 2010
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Preceded by Deniz Baykal
Leader of the Republican People's Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 May 2010
Preceded by Deniz Baykal
Member of the Grand National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 November 2002
Constituency İstanbul (II) (2002, 2007, 2011)

İzmir (II) (2015)

Personal details
Born 17 December 1948
Ballıca, Turkey
Political party Republican People's Party
Spouse(s) Sevim Kılıçdaroğlu
Children Aslı
Zeynep
Kerem
Alma mater Gazi University
Religion Alevi[1]
Website Official site

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (pronounced [keˈmal kɯɫɯtʃˈdaɾoːɫu]; born 17 December 1948) is a Turkish social democrat politician. He is leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and has been Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey since 2010. He has been a Member of Parliament for İstanbul since 2002.

He was nominated by the CHP as candidate for Mayor of Istanbul in the 2009 local elections, in which he gained 36.8% of all votes. He is considered likely to breathe new life into the CHP.[2] Although he increased the votes of his party, he was unsuccessful to win any elections.

Kılıçdaroğlu was elected deputy chairman of the Socialist International on August 31, 2012.[3]

Early life

He was born on December 17, 1948 in Ballıca village of Nazımiye district in Tunceli Province, eastern Turkey[4] to Kamer, a clerk-recorder of deeds and his wife Yemuş. He was the fourth of seven children.[5] His father was among thousands of exiled Alevis following the failed Dersim Rebellion.[6]

The family belonged to the Cebeligiller clan of the Kureyşan tribe and Zaza[7] origin, but he said his background is Turkmen.[8] His father changed their family name in the 1950s from originally Karabulut to Kılıçdaroğlu since all the people in the village they lived in had the same family name.[5]

Kemal continued his primary and secondary education in various places like Erciş, Tunceli, Genç and Elazığ. He was educated in economics at the Ankara Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences (now Gazi University), from which he graduated in 1971. During his youth days, he earned his living by selling goods.[5]

Professional career

After university, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu entered the Ministry of Finance as a junior account specialist in 1971. He was later promoted to accountant and was sent to France for additional professional training. In 1983, he was appointed deputy director general of the Revenues Department in the same ministry. At that time he worked closely with Prime Minister Turgut Özal. In 1991, Kılıçdaroğlu became director-general of the Social Security Organization for Artisans and Self-Employed (Bağ-Kur). The following year he was appointed director-general of the Social Security Organization (SSK).[5][9]

In 1994, Kılıçdaroğlu was named "Civil Servant of the Year" by the weekly periodical Ekonomik Trend.[5]

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu retired from the Social Security Organization in January 1999. Kılıçdaroğlu taught at the Hacettepe University and chaired the Specialized Commission on the Informal Economy within the framework of the preparation of the Eighth Five-Year Development Plan. He also acted as a member of the Executive Board of İş Bank.[10]

Politics

Kılıçdaroğlu during a public appearance in Ankara (April 12, 2011)

During his chairmanship of Social Security Organization, he was invited by the leader of the CHP, Deniz Baykal, to join his party. He accepted the invitation.[5]

Following the 2002 general election, he entered the parliament as a deputy from Istanbul. In the 2007 general election, he was re-elected to parliament. He became deputy speaker of his party's parliamentary group.[5]

Kılıçdaroğlu's efforts to uncover malpractice among high-ranking Justice and Development Party (AKP) politicians carried him to headlines in the Turkish media. Two deputy chairmen of the ruling AKP, Şaban Dişli and Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat , resigned from their respective positions in the party following television debates with Kılıçdaroğlu. Furthermore, he publicly accused the AKP-affiliated Mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökçek, of complicity in a corruption scandal relating to the "Deniz Feneri" charity based in Germany.[5]

Election to CHP leadership

Long-time leader of the CHP, Deniz Baykal, resigned on May 10, 2010 following a video tape scandal. Kılıçdaroğlu announced his candidacy for the position on May 17, five days before an upcoming party convention. According to reports, the party was divided over the leadership issue, with its Central Executive Board insisting that Baykal retake the position.[11] But after Kılıçdaroğlu received the support of 77 of his party's 81 provincial chairpersons,[12] Baykal decided not to run for re-election.[13]

For a candidacy to become official, CHP by-laws require the support of 20% of convention delegates.[14] At the party convention, which started on May 22, 2010, Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy received the signatures of 1,246 out of the 1,250 delegates, which set a new record for the CHP.[15]

In view of this overwhelming support, the presidium of the party convention decided to move the election, initially scheduled for Sunday, forward to Saturday. As now expected, Kılıçdaroğlu was elected as party chairman. The election was unanimous, with 1,189 votes (not counting eight votes that were found to be invalid).[16][17]

Family life

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu married Selvi (unofficially Sevim) in 1974. The couple has a son, Kerem, two daughters, Aslı and Zeynep, and a granddaughter from Aslı's marriage.[5] Some journals denoted his Alevi identity,[18] however Kılıçdaroğlu didn't make a statement about his religious belief for a long time. In July 2011, he said "I always refused to do politics on ethnic identities and religion. I am an Alevi. Since when is it a crime to be Alevi in this country?".[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Alevi'yim ne var bunda". Habertürk. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ Strauss, Delphine (21 May 2011). "Turkey's Gandhi chosen to lead opposition". The Financial Times.
  3. ↑ http://www.trt-world.com/trtworld/en/newsDetail.aspx?haberkodu=46609cdd-602a-44d8-8c67-6b4fe178c5e5
  4. ↑ Yalçın, Soner (23 May 2010). "Kılıçdaroğlu hakkında bilinmeyen tek gerçek". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Nazımiyeli ailenin okuyan tek çocuğu". Radikal (in Turkish). 23 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Turkish opposition: Gandhi's rise". The Economist. 28 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Kürt değil, Zaza kökenli. (Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is not Kurd, but Zaza descent.), İdris Gürsoy, Aleviler Kılıçdaroğlu’nu nereye taşıyacak?, Aksyon, 13 September 2010.
  8. ↑ Faruk Bildirici, "Citizen Kılıçdaroğlu: Turkish opposition chief in his own words", 'Hürriyet Daily News, 11 July 2010, retrieved 11 January 2011.
  9. ↑ Party Leader Biography, chp.org.tr, retrieved 11 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Party Leader Biography, chp.org.tr retrieved 02 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Kılıçdaroğlu announcement splits Turkish opposition party". Hürriyet Daily News. May 17, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Kılıçdaroğlu receives broad support from party base". Hürriyet Daily News. May 18, 2010.
  13. ↑ Habib Güler (May 21, 2010). "Baykal announces he will not run as debate heats up over new CHP". Today's Zaman.
  14. ↑ "CHP delegates convene to elect new leader". Today's Zaman. May 22, 2010.
  15. ↑ "CHP'de tarihi kurultay". Habertürk (in Turkish). May 22, 2010.
  16. ↑ İzgi Güngör (May 22, 2010). "Kılıçdaroğlu wins CHP leadership, challenges Turkish PM 'Mr. Recep'". Hürriyet Daily News.
  17. ↑ "Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu new leader of opposition Party CHP". National Turk. May 22, 2010.
  18. ↑ Turkey’s opposition: A new Kemal: Kemal Kilicdaroglu gives new hope to the Turkish opposition, by The Economist, dated May 27th 2010, ANKARA.
  19. ↑ "Alevi'yim ne var bunda". CNNTurk (in Turkish). June 17, 2011.

External links

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Party political offices
Preceded by
Deniz Baykal		 Leader of the Republican People's Party
2010–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Deniz Baykal		 Leader of the Opposition
2010–present 		Incumbent