Gürsel Tekin, who was appointed as trustee to the Istanbul branch of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in 2025, is one of the staunch defenders of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the new chair of the party. As the Özgür Özel administration engaged in a battle to take the seat back from Kılıçdaroğlu, Tekin said Kılıçdaroğlu has more support than the public was led to believe.
A former lieutenant of Kılıçdaroğlu, Tekin spoke to the Sabah newspaper on Monday, commenting on the reinstatement of Kılıçdaroğlu by a court verdict last month, after Özgür Özel was ousted amid a lawsuit over a November 2023 election, on allegations of vote-buying in his favor.
He hit back the criticism of last Saturday’s event at party’s headquarters by the Özel supporters and denied “lack of interest” to the event where Kılıçdaroğlu made his first public speech after his reinstatement. He also rejected claims that people attending the event were not linked to the party. “All party members voluntarily attended the event and turnout was higher than we expected. People come to Ankara on their own and demonstrate a valuable example of solidarity. I am thankful to all party members,” he said.
Tekin argued that pro-Özel camp in CHP relied on social media influence too much and said politics cannot be redesigned through social media. “I am in touch with people every day, and hold in-person meetings. We see an extraordinary interest (in Kılıçdaroğlu’s comeback). Let (the Özel camp) choose any location in Istanbul and let’s see how many people they’d talk to will support them. We are with the people. Those who do not stand with us are online troll gangs,” Tekin said.
He stated that a large number of CHP supporters left the party during three years of Özel’s tenure. “In Istanbul alone, some 29,000 members quit. This is a striking number. I will work to win them back. We are working for unity, brotherhood of CHP,” he said.
He also criticized pro-Özel media outlets, which were funded by the Özel administration in the past. “They have been disappointed. I thought some journalists in those media outlets were dignified people but they have not talked to me since (appointment as CHP Istanbul chair). They criticize us, but they deprive us of the right of response,” he stated.
