One of the former chairs of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) passed away at 93 on Saturday.
Altan Öymen, who steered CHP for 15 months from 1999, passed away due to multiple organ failure days after being hospitalized in Istanbul, the hospital said in a statement.
Öymen had undergone a successful lung surgery only six weeks ago. He passed away after three days in the intensive care, the hospital said, offering condolences to his family.
“I was saddened to hear of Mr. Öymen’s death,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement on X. “I wish him God’s blessing and send my condolences to his family and the CHP,” he said.
Originally a journalist, Öymen began his career as a parliament correspondent in 1950 before serving as a reporter and chief editor for several Turkish newspapers.
Between 1962 and 1966, he served as the press officer of the Turkish consulate in Bonn, Germany. In 1972, he founded the news agency Anka and helmed it until 1979.
Öymen’s political career began when he was elected as a lawmaker for CHP from Istanbul in the 1977 elections.
In 1999, he became the chairman of Türkiye’s oldest party, before he handed the reins back to Deniz Baykal in 2000.
He is also the author of seven published books.
