Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Turkey's Opposition Names Kemal Kilicdaroglu As Presidential Candidate

Turkey's Opposition Names Kemal Kilicdaroglu As Presidential Candidate

It took more than a decade and some bitter defeats for Kemal Kilicdaroglu to secure the Turkish opposition's trust and become its torchbearer in May's crucial parliamentary and presidential polls.
It took more than a decade and some bitter defeats for Kemal Kilicdaroglu to secure the Turkish opposition's trust and become its torchbearer in May's crucial parliamentary and presidential polls.

For better or worse, the 74-year-old former civil servant's bookish ways have stood out in sharp contrast to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's brash and bombastic style.

But Kilicdaroglu, an ethnic Alevi who has led the Republic People's Party (CHP) since 2010, has worked hard to sharpen his image -- while transforming his party's rigid line.

Under his aegis, the leftist CHP -- created by the mostly Muslim country's secular founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -- has embraced minority groups it once kept on the sidelines, including the Kurds.

At the risk of outraging the party's rank-and-file, Kilicdaroglu has also forged alliances with right-wing parties and championed socially conservative women's right to stay veiled at school and work.

A former close colleague, Riza Celikkol, described Kilicdaroglu as "very hardworking and disciplined", while others have dubbed him "Turkey's Gandhi" for his soft-spoken manners.

'March for justice'

Kilicdaroglu, who prefers to be known as "the quiet force," took years to hone his tone and make a meaningful national impact.

One of his defining moments came in 2017, when he launched a "march for justice" from Ankara to Istanbul to protest the jailing of a CHP member of parliament.

At the time, few dared to stand up to Erdogan, who was busy unleashing purges that saw tens of thousands jailed or stripped of their government jobs in the wake of a failed 2016 coup.

The march allowed Kilicdaroglu, who studied finance and headed Turkey's social security system before unsuccessfully running for Istanbul mayor in 2009, to emerge as a leader not afraid to confront Erdogan.

Two years later, Kilicdaroglu's CHP swept to power in Turkey's most prized cities, including Ankara and Istanbul, where it ended 25 years of rule by Erdogan and his party.

Kilicdaroglu's tone hardened and confidence grew on the back of these unexpected wins, which cracked Erdogan's aura of political invincibility.

"This is my fight for your rights," Kilicdaroglu proclaimed last year from the darkness of his apartment, its power cut after he refused to pay the bills in solidarity with others suffering from Turkey's years-long economic crisis.

'Mr. Kemal'

Kilicdaroglu has since developed a knack for showing up unannounced at government buildings, the media in tow, demanding to see ministers about various social grievances.

He has charged the statics agency with cooking the books to hide the true scale of Turkey's runaway inflation, and accused business bosses of enriching themselves through plump state contracts.

Kilicdaroglu also came out swinging after a massive earthquake killed more than 45,000 in Turkey and 5,000 in Syria last month, accusing the government of lax buildings standards and corruption.

Despite these seeming successes, even his own backers question whether Kilicdaroglu pssesses the kind of charisma needed to take on Erdogan -- a tireless campaigner who comes alive on stage.

Born in the historically rebellious eastern Tunceli province, which has a Kurdish and Alevi majority, Kilicdaroglu could struggle to win over conservative Sunni voters that make up the core of Erdogan's support.

Not respecting certain rites of Islam, Alevis have faced discrimination and even massacres in the dominantly Sunni country.

If elected, Kilicdaroglu would be the first Alevi to head the Turkish state.

Somewhat dismissively, Erdogan refers to Kilicdaroglu as "Bay Kemal", or Mr. Kemal, an informal form of address rarely used in adult conversations.

Married with three adult children and now a grandfather, Kilicdaroglu once described the early years of his life with his wife Selvi as "modest".

"We didn't have a fridge, washing machine or dishwasher," he once recalled.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
×