Main opposition leader’s brother to swap construction guard job for politics

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

Celal Kılıçdaroğlu, who previously made headlines when it was revealed that he worked as a watchman at a construction site in İzmir for minimum wage. DHA photo

The brother of Turkish main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who previously made headlines when it was revealed that he worked as a watchman at a construction site in İzmir for minimum wage, is entering politics, he announced on social media April 6. 

Celal Kılıçdaroğlu, the youngest of seven brothers, has said he will be a candidate for the municipal assembly in Buca district, a suburb of İzmir. 

“There were insistent offers from my entourage to engage actively in politics. So I took the candidature for Buca’s municipal assembly. My goal is to help my brother in his political life,” he wrote. 

Celal Kılıçdaroğlu, who reportedly went to his hometown Tunceli then moved to Istanbul after losing his job due to a halt in the construction sector, is back in İzmir, working at a picnic site. 

“I came to work together with a childhood friend. I saw that there were a lot of fond and supportive people around me,” he said.  
 
Born in the eastern province of Tunceli like his more famous brother, Celal Kılıçdaroğlu worked at the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) in the northwestern province of Kocaeli before retiring in 2007.
 
When it was revealed that he worked for a very small amount of money, Kılıçdaroğlu was urged to explain why he had not asked for help from his older brother. 

“He is the leader of the CHP, so should I have asked him for a favor? Wouldn’t he be in a difficult position if I had done that? Wouldn’t that be unfair to other people? Besides, working is not something to be ashamed of. … I don’t like sitting at a desk all day. I am very content here,” he had said.