Özgür Özel recounts the process leading to the chairmanship: 'I thought about it for a long time on my own...'

Özgür Özel, who became the candidate of the 'change-makers' at the CHP convention following the May elections and was elected CHP Chairman after defeating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, emerged victorious from his first test, the March 31 Local Elections.

With a vote share of 37.77 percent, the CHP became the leading party across Turkey for the first time in 47 years.

Speaking to Zeynep Bilgehan from Hürriyet, Özel stated that he felt very saddened after the May 14-28 elections and described how the chairmanship process began with the following words.

"I THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR A LONG TIME ON MY OWN..."

"One day in Manisa, I sat in the living room of my house in the semi-darkness and thought for four hours without doing anything. When my wife Didem saw me like that, she said, 'I hope it's for the best, let's see what's coming our way now?' (laughs). This was a one-person decision. I thought about it for a long time on my own and jumped into an empty pool from a great height. I calculated that the pool would fill up by the time I fell. And that is exactly what happened."

"In our march for change, I was one person at first. Then we became three, then seven... I had told my friends, 'One day we will be 7 million, those who are not with us today will join us,'" said Özel, adding, "Being the chairman of the leading party is a job that is enjoyable, powerful, and carries a lot of responsibility. While five parties had received 25 percent just 10 months ago, receiving 38 percent now shows that the segments you convinced are not just those who are devoted to the CHP. This imposes other responsibilities as well."

Özel stated, "Social media is an important medium, but thinking that Twitter reflects the perception in society one-to-one is a big mistake. One needs to look at whether the evaluations, criticisms, and opinions on Twitter align with the field. Listening to the voice of the street is something else; you can listen to this through surveys, the organization, and the reports of the deputies you send."

"CHP INCREASED ITS VOTES BY NEARLY 4 MILLION, AK PARTY AND MHP LOST 3 MILLION VOTES"

Özel responded to the comments that "The CHP did not win, the AK Party voters did not vote" as follows:

"The CHP increased its votes by nearly 4 million. The AK Party and MHP lost 3 million votes. The winner is given the certificate of election. We currently have 408 of them. The map is painted in the color of the winner; we painted it red. We have the most metropolitan municipalities, we have the most districts, we have the most provinces. If a leader says 'No, I won' after an election they lost, they receive a wound in the eyes of the voter that they cannot compensate for. The voter makes them lose so that they get the message."

CLARIFIED 'HE HAD HIS HAIR DYED' NEWS

Özel, who was alleged to have had his hair dyed after undergoing surgery, said the following;

"The lens surgery related to my eyes had also been waiting for a year. Since the prescription was very high, smart lenses were implanted. Cortisone drops are being administered for that. All this cortisone caused slight swelling on my face and eyes. I did not dye my hair, I just had it cut. On the day I had it cut, they applied wax (a product used to style hair and keep it in the desired shape). It looked different due to the photo angles; my gray hairs are still there."