Kilicdaroglu updates his bio to include “Mr. Kemal”

Speaking at the third “Voice of the People” rally, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republic People’s Party (CHP), said that he gave up “all his life” to become “Mr. Kemal.”

President Erdogan frequently refers to Kemal Kilicdaroglu as "Mr. Kemal" in his remarks. The title does not have any direct negative connotations in Turkish, yet Erdogan clearly uses it as a derogatory term.

In remarks he later shared on Twitter, Kilicdaroglu said “becoming Mr. Kemal is no ordinary feat. You need to have morals to become Mr. Kemal, you need to refrain from wronging other people, you need to be just, you should not kneel before imperialist powers if you are to become Mr. Kemal. You should not beg gulf countries for 5 cents or a million dollars. You need to protect the dignity of this country. If you are to become Mr. Kemal, you need to dream of a Turkey where no child goes to sleep with an empty belly. You need to protect the equality of sexes. You need to reinstate the Istanbul Convention in a week. You are nowhere near Mr. Kemal.” He also updated his Twitter bio to include “Mr. Kemal” following the "Voice of the People" rally held in Balikesir, a city located in western Turkey. 

Bay Kemal… pic.twitter.com/EGx4Ig9iXk

— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) July 24, 2022

Kilicdaroglu kicked off the “Voice of the People” rallies in the southeastern city of Mersin. The second rally took place in Istanbul following the upholding of the prison sentence of CHP’s Istanbul Chair Canan Kaftancioglu. Kaftancioglu was sentenced to prison in 2019 due to tweets dating back to 2012.