Kılıçdaroğlu appoints former far-right party executive as advisor

Turkish main opposition CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has appointed Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş as his advisor. Previously, Ulukuş was the head of the youth movement of the far-right anti-immigrant Victory Party.

Tuesday July 04 2023 09:18 pm

This file photo shows CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (center) with his newly-appointed advisor Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş (L).

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Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has appointed former anti-immigrant Victory Party (ZP) executive Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş as his advisor.

Ulukuş announced the move on July 4 and said “With the appreciation and approval of Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, I have been appointed as the advisor to the chair of the CHP.”

Sayın Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’nun takdir ve tensipleriyle, CHP Genel Başkan Danışmanlığı görevine atanmış bulunuyorum. 🇹🇷
— Gökşen Anıl Ulukuş (@goksenulukus) July 4, 2023

Ulukuş was the head of the youth movement of the far-right Victory Party until October 2021.

The move came after Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu dismissed all of his advisors after the presidential and parliamentary electoral loss.

After the first round of the presidential election, Kılıçdaroğlu and Victory Party leader Ümit Özdağ signed a protocol, focusing on returning refugees back to Syria, securing the support of the latter in the second round of the race.

Moreover, there are reports that Kılıçdaroğlu and Özdağ could form an alliance for the 2024 local elections.