Leader of the Republican People's Party

Leader of the Republican People's Party
Leader of the Republican People's Party
Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi Başkanı
	Incumbent; Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu; since 21 May 2026
Status	Acting, Appointed
Member of	Party Congress; Central Management Board; Party Convention
Appointer	Party Convention;
Term length	Two years, renewable;
Formation	9 September 1923
First holder	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Deputy	Deputy Leader

The Leader of the Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi Genel Başkanı) is the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party in Turkey. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has been the leader between 2010-2023, and again since 21 May 2026, following the deposition of Özgür Özel.^[1]

The CHP leader is elected by a majority vote during a convention of the CHP. According to the regulations of the CHP, the CHP leader is the head of all party organizations except disciplinary ones.^[2]

List

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Term in Office
1	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938)	9 September 1923	10 November 1938
2	İsmet İnönü (1884–1973)	26 December 1938	8 May 1972
3	Bülent Ecevit (1925–2006)	14 May 1972	30 October 1980
Party closed down following the 12 September 1980 coup d'état
4	Deniz Baykal (1938–2023)	9 September 1992	18 February 1995
5	Hikmet Çetin (1937–)	18 February 1995	9 September 1995
(4)	Deniz Baykal (1938–2023)	9 September 1995	23 May 1999
6	Altan Öymen (1932–2025)	23 May 1999	30 September 2000
(4)	Deniz Baykal (1938–2023)	30 September 2000	10 May 2010
7	Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (1948–)	22 May 2010	5 November 2023
8	Özgür Özel (1974–)	5 November 2023	21 May 2026
(7)	Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (1948–)	21 May 2026	Incumbent