CHP MP criticizes Kılıçdaroğlu’s far-right advisor appointment

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Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) İzmir Lawmaker Gökçe Gökçen on July 6 criticized the appointment of former far-right Victory Party (ZP) executive Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş as CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu’s advisor.

In a tweet, CHP Party Assembly member and former CHP deputy chair Gökçen said there are enough people in the youth organizations of the party who can assume similar positions.

“In our CHP youth organizations, there are cadres who can be advisors, even executives of all levels of our party. Happily, those cadres are also aware of the vitality of the struggle against far-right movements in this period, but unfortunately they have not yet received what they deserve in our party. I am proud of my friends,” she said.

Gökçen was the deputy chair in charge of youth policies of the CHP between 2020 and 2023.

On the other hand, İlayda Çağla Kocaoğlu, who retweeted Gökçen's tweet and shared it in the CHP Media WhatsApp group, which was opened to inform the members of the press, was removed from the admin status of the group by CHP advisors, journalist Nevşin Mengü announced.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has appointed former far-right, anti-immigrant Victory Party executive Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş as his advisor. Ulukuş was the head of the youth movement of the Victory Party until October 2021.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s move stirred a huge reaction among some CHP members who argued that the party should not consist of people from far-right movements.

Although there is a strong consensus for a need for change for CHP leadership after the electoral loss, Kılıçdaroğlu has not shown any willingness in this regard. On July 4, Kılıçdaroğlu said that his presidential loss to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could not be named as a failure and that it would not matter if he was the CHP’s leader or not.