Who is Ozgur Ozel, the New CHP Chairman?

Ozgur Ozel has assumed the position of Chairman for the Republican People's Party (CHP), winning a hard-fought election. In the initial round of voting, Ozgur Ozel secured 682 votes, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 664 votes. As neither candidate garnered an absolute majority, the election proceeded to a second round. In this decisive round, Ozgur Ozel outpaced Kilicdaroglu, the party's leader for 13 and a half years, securing 812 votes. This historic victory has made Ozgur Ozel the 8th President of the CHP. 

Who is Ozgur Ozel? 

Ozgur Ozel was born on September 21, 1974, in Manisa. His father's name is Talat, and his mother's name is Rukiye Sukran. He was graduated from Ege University, Faculty of Pharmacy.

Before his political career, Ozel worked as an independent pharmacist and played various roles in the Manisa Chamber of Pharmacists, including serving as a Board Member, Treasurer, Secretary General, and President.

In 2007, he was elected as a member of the Central Board of the Turkish Pharmacists' Association (TEB). He held the positions of Treasurer and Secretary General in TEB for two terms and contributed to numerous congresses and conferences.

Ozel is a distinguished member of the International Pharmacy Federation, European Union Pharmacy Group, and European Pharmacy Forum. 

His Political Journey 

Ozgür Ozel's political career has been marked by several significant milestones. In the 2009 local elections, he vied for the position of Manisa mayor under the banner of the Republican People's Party (CHP), though he did not secure the position. However, his political ascent began in earnest when he first entered the Turkish parliament as a CHP Manisa deputy in the 2011 general elections. Later on, in the 2014 local elections, he once again contested the role of Manisa Metropolitan Municipality mayor as a CHP candidate, but he experienced defeat once more.

In both the June and November 2015 Turkish general elections, Ozel returned to parliament as a CHP Manisa deputy. At the 18th Republican People's Party Extraordinary Congress, he secured a seat as a CHP party assembly member. During his term in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, he served on the Health Commission and the CHP Prisons Investigation Commission. On June 24, 2015, he assumed the position of CHP group deputy chairman.

Ozgür Ozel further solidified his political standing when he announced his candidacy for the CHP Presidency on September 15, 2023. In the 38th Ordinary Congress held on November 4, he clinched the chairmanship with 812 votes in the second round, championing the "changeists" movement.

Ugur Mumcu Award for Ozel

Ozgür Ozel's contributions to the political landscape have not gone unnoticed. In 2015, he was honored with the Ugur Mumcu Politician of the Year Award by the Association of Contemporary Journalists and the Ataturkist Thought Association.

Fluent in both German and English, Ozel is a family man, married with one child.