Sinan OÄŸan (born 1 September 1967) is a Turkish politician who
won a seat in the Turkish parliament in 2011 with the far-right
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party, or alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party (, MHP), is a Turkish Far-right politics, far-right, ultranationalism, ultranationalist Political parties in Turkey, political party. The group is often de ...
(MHP). He was the presidential candidate of
ATA Alliance for the
2023 Turkish presidential election
Turkish presidential elections, Presidential elections were held in Turkey in May 2023, alongside 2023 Turkish parliamentary election, parliamentary elections, to elect a President of Turkey, president for a term of five years. Dubbed the most ...
, which resulted in a second round. He finished in third place, therefore he was described as a potential
kingmaker
A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a monarchy or royal in their political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious, and military means to influence the ...
. He proceeded to support the
People's Alliance People's Alliance may refer to:
* People's Alliance ( ''Volksunie''), Belgian political party which split in 2001 into the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie and Spirit
* People's Alliance (Bulgaria), a Bulgarian party from 1921 to 1923
* People's Alliance ( ...
candidate
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
, who was subsequently elected president in the second round of the election.
Early life and education
OÄŸan was born on 1 September 1967 in
Iğdır
Iğdır (; or ; ; or ) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Iğdır Province and Iğdır District. , Turkey, in a family of
Azerbaijani ethnicity. He graduated from the Department of Management at
Marmara University
Marmara University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Marmara Üniversitesi'') is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university, named after the Sea of Marmara, was founded as a university in 1982. However, its ...
in 1989. From 1993 to 2000 OÄŸan worked as deputy dean at the
Azerbaijan State Economic University.
From 1994 to 1998, he also served as a representative of the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (
TİKA) of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an additional mission.
Professional career
In 2000, he returned to Turkey and started working at the
Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies on the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
region. He laid the foundation for the Center of International Relations and Strategic Analysis
TURKSAM. OÄŸan's books include 'Azerbaijan', which was published by Turkic World Research Foundation Publications in 1992, 'Politics and Oligarchy', published in Russia in 2003, and '
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...
s', published in 2006. He has also published more than 500 articles and analyses.
In 2009, OÄŸan obtained a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in international relations and political science from the
Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...
.
Political career
He was elected as Iğdır deputy from the Nationalist Movement Party in the 2011 Turkish general elections. He was a member of the Turkey-Albania and Türkiye-Niger Parliamentary Friendship Groups and the Secretary General of the Turkey-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
He was expelled from the Nationalist Movement Party on 26 August 2015, but won a lawsuit and returned to the party, only to be expelled again on 2 November 2015. He returned to the party as a member in 2016.
OÄŸan organized opposition to the
2017 Turkish constitutional referendum resulting in his final expulsion from the Nationalist Movement Party. Prior to this, he was a challenger against
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the MHP, where an internal revolt had occurred due to the party's poor showing in the
November 2015 Turkish general election. OÄŸan argued that the MHP platform was against "constitutional change" and campaigned against Bahceli's support for the referendum. OÄŸan was subject to an alleged assassination attempt after his expulsion from the party, though the district governor of
Samsun Province
Samsun Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 9,725 km2, and its population is 1,368,488 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Sinop on the northwest, Çorum on the west, Amasy ...
disputed this claim.
2023 presidential election
He was nominated as the
ATA Alliance candidate for the
2023 Turkish presidential election
Turkish presidential elections, Presidential elections were held in Turkey in May 2023, alongside 2023 Turkish parliamentary election, parliamentary elections, to elect a President of Turkey, president for a term of five years. Dubbed the most ...
, acquiring the necessary 100,000 signatures to stand on 26 March 2023. He had 5.17% votes and ended the election in the 3rd place. On 22 May 2023, OÄŸan declared that he would support
People's Alliance People's Alliance may refer to:
* People's Alliance ( ''Volksunie''), Belgian political party which split in 2001 into the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie and Spirit
* People's Alliance (Bulgaria), a Bulgarian party from 1921 to 1923
* People's Alliance ( ...
and
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
in the runoff election, citing "stability" concerns rising from Erdoğan's parliamentary majority. One day before the announcement, the Justice Party leader Vecdet Öz announced that ATA Alliance has officially ended. After Erdoğan won in the runoff, Oğan was present next to Erdoğan during his balcony speech.
Personal life
OÄŸan is married and has two children. His father-in-law is Mehmet Ekici who served as the deputy chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party until 2011 when he had to resign from the party due to his involvement in a scandal. Aside from being a native Turkish speaker, OÄŸan has knowledge of English and Russian.
Awards and recognition
* 1992
Milliyet
''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History and profile
''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950 ...
Newspaper Social Sciences Award
* 1993 Marmara University Academic Award of Excellence
* Turkic World Service Award from Eurasia Economic Relations Association
* Honor Award from the Federation of
Oghuz Tribe Cultural Associations
* 2011, he was awarded the Azerbaijan State Medal.
* 2011 "
Member of the Parliament (MP) of the Year" by the Telecommunication Workers Association
Sinan Oğan bir kez daha milletvekili seçildi
''Guvengazetesi.com.''
Electoral history
Parliamentary
Presidential
See also
* 2016 Nationalist Movement Party Extraordinary Congress
* Ümit Özdağ
* Sinan OÄŸan 2023 presidential campaign
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogan, Sinan
1967 births
Deputies of Iğdır
Living people
People from Iğdır
Turkish people of Azerbaijani descent
Members of the 24th Parliament of Turkey
Nationalist Movement Party politicians
Marmara University alumni
Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni
Independent politicians