From Pharmacist to CHP Chairman… Who is Özgür Özel?

The Republican People's Party's (CHP) highly anticipated 38th Ordinary Congress saw the candidate of the change-makers, Özgür Özel, win the race for the chairmanship.

In the congress where 1,367 delegates from 81 provinces cast their votes, Özgür Özel received 812 votes, while Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 532 votes.

CHP'S 8TH CHAIRMAN ÖZGÜR ÖZEL

With this result, Özgür Özel became the 8th Chairman of the CHP, the first political party of the Republic of Turkey, following Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Bülent Ecevit, Deniz Baykal, Hikmet Çetin, Altan Öymen, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

WHO IS ÖZGÜR ÖZEL?

Özgür Özel, who was elected Chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) at the 38th Ordinary Congress, was born in Manisa in 1974. He completed his middle and high school education at the İzmir Bornova Anatolian High School German Department and Manisa High School, and his undergraduate education at the Ege University Faculty of Pharmacy.

HE BEGAN HIS PHARMACY CAREER AFTER GRADUATION

Özel, who began working as a freelance pharmacist in 1999, served as General Secretary for one term and as Chamber President for two terms at the Manisa Chamber of Pharmacists between 2001 and 2007. During the same years, he served as the Term Spokesperson and President of the Manisa Academic Chambers Union. During this period, he organized and acted as the spokesperson for the Manisa Republic Rally. Pharmacist Özgür Özel received various awards for the social and environmental projects he implemented during his tenure as Chamber President.

Özel, who is a member of and a Turkish delegate to international organizations such as the International Pharmaceutical Federation, the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, and the European Pharmaceutical Forum, has delivered written and oral presentations and moderated panels at 163 congresses and conferences.

HE BECAME THE CHP'S MANISA MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN 2009

Özgür Özel, who was the Republican People's Party's candidate for Mayor of Manisa in the March 29, 2009 local elections, served as a delegate for the Republican People's Party's Manisa Province at the 33rd Ordinary Congress and the 15th Extraordinary Congress.

He was elected to the Central Board of the Turkish Pharmacists Association in the elections held in 2007 and December 2009. He served as Treasurer for one term and General Secretary for two terms at the Turkish Pharmacists Association. He resigned from his position on March 10, 2011, to become a parliamentary candidate.

HE WAS ELECTED AS A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT IN 2011

He was elected as a Republican People's Party member of parliament for Manisa in the General Parliamentary Elections held on June 12, 2011.

He was elected as a Manisa MP for the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th terms. He served on the Health, Family, Labor and Social Affairs Commission, the SOMA Mining Accident Research Commission, the CHP Prison Monitoring and Investigation Commission, and the CHP University and Student Problems Research Commission.

He was elected as a member of the party assembly at the 18th CHP Extraordinary Congress. He continued this duty until he assumed the role of Deputy Group Chairman.

He served as CHP Deputy Group Chairman during the 25th, 26th, and 27th terms, and as Group Chairman during the 28th term.

In the first round of the election at the CHP 38th Ordinary Congress held on November 4-5, he received 682 votes, surpassing the incumbent Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, while Kılıçdaroğlu received 664 votes. 18 votes were counted as invalid and 2 as blank.

Kılıçdaroğlu lost the election by 2 votes. Following this situation, which was a first in CHP history, Özel received 812 votes while Kılıçdaroğlu received 536 votes in the second round of voting.

As of November 5, 2023, Özel was elected as the new chairman of the CHP, following the 13-year Kılıçdaroğlu era.

Özel is fluent in English and German.

News Source: 12punto