For more than a decade, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was the face of Türkiye's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), leading the party through multiple national elections and ultimately becoming the joint opposition's presidential candidate against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2023.
Three years later, Kılıçdaroğlu finds himself at the center of one of the deepest crises in the CHP's modern history.
Following a May 21, 2026 ruling by Ankara's 36th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Appeals that declared the CHP's 2023 party congress legally invalid under the principle of "absolute nullity", Kılıçdaroğlu returned as CHP chairman for a second time. His return has triggered resignations, internal divisions, disciplinary proceedings and competing claims over the party's legitimacy.
Before entering politics, Kılıçdaroğlu served as director-general of the Social Security Institution of Türkiye (SSK), where he gained public recognition for his criticism of government policies and anti-corruption campaigns.
He joined the CHP in 2002 and was elected as an Istanbul lawmaker the same year. He later represented Izmir in parliament and became the party's parliamentary group deputy chair.
