Politics · Turkey · 16 hrs ago
Kılıçdaroğlu Says CHP Is Responsible for Losing Support in Gaziantep
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said his party was responsible for losing support in Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey.
He said party members had failed to visit people in need, listen to their concerns and build closer relationships.
Gaziantep had previously given the CHP a higher share of the vote, though he did not specify when or by how much it had fallen.
He made the comments during a visit that included an event marking the party’s 103rd anniversary and welcoming 103 young members.
Kılıçdaroğlu urged young members to learn history and prepare to build the country’s future, stressing democracy, the rule of law and knowledge.
He said the party must earn public trust by standing with people who need help.
After the event, he visited local business groups and met with shopkeepers and businesspeople.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the CHP, not voters in Gaziantep, was responsible for its loss of support there.
He said party members had failed to visit poor people, share meals with them and listen to their concerns.
He urged party members to build closer relationships with residents and earn their trust by supporting people in need.
Kılıçdaroğlu made the remarks during a visit to Gaziantep, where he also attended an event marking the CHP’s 103rd anniversary.
- Who
- CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
- What
- He said the CHP was responsible for losing support in Gaziantep and had failed to connect with residents.
- When
- During a visit reported on October 24, 2026.
- Where
- Gaziantep, Turkey.
- Why
- Kılıçdaroğlu said party members had not visited poor people or listened to their concerns.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kılıçdaroğlu visited shopkeepers at Balıklı Park before going to the CHP Gaziantep provincial headquarters.
He attended a ceremony welcoming 103 young members to the party for its 103rd anniversary.
He visited the Gaziantep Union of Tradesmen and Artisans Chambers and the Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce.
- Party
- Republican People's Party (CHP)
- Leader
- Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
- Location
- Gaziantep, Turkey
- Anniversary event
- 103 young members welcomed for the CHP's 103rd anniversary
- Published
- October 24, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
If our vote is falling, the responsibility is not with the people of Gaziantep; the responsibility is ours, the mistake is ours.
We did not go, we did not sit at the poor person's table, we did not drink their tea or coffee.
You will go, sit at their table, have a gift package in your hand, listen to their problems.
Atatürkism is not being stuck in the past. Atatürkism is building the future.