Ümit Özdağ

According to a Bloomberg analysis, the average likes Ümit Özdağ got on Twitter in May 2022 exceeded even Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In August 2021, he announced the foundation of the Victory Party whose logo was inspired by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Seljuk leader Alp Arslan. In May 2022 he had an altercation with Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu who amongst statements other deemed him a puppet of George Soros, not a human and lower than an animal during a TV broadcast. In response Özdağ challenged to see Soylu at his ministry, and that if he was "man enough" should not hide behind the Turkish police. As Özdağ then showed up at the ministry, he was blocked by the police. As a result of his policies, Ümit Özdağ gained huge popularity on social media. The Party is mostly popular between Turkish Youth. This support brought the party pass the party the election treshold on some surveys. the policies of Victory Party has become a guide for the political agenda in Turkish politics. Especially, illegal refugees situation is one of the most important subject at the 2023 general elections.

Özdağ resigned as deputy leader on 24 February 2016, calling for the party to hold an extraordinary congress following its heavy defeat in the November 2015 election. He announced his candidacy for the party leadership on 9 April 2016 after fellow leadership candidates began collecting delegate signatures for an extraordinary congress. The process of holding the 2016 Nationalist Movement Party Extraordinary Congress became embroiled in legal disputes and was eventually disbanded after an intervention from the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey. On 20 October, Özdağ was again referred to the MHP High Disciplinary Board pending dismissal from the party, which took effect on 15 November 2016.

Özdağ claimed that his dismissal also originated from his opposition to an executive presidency, which Devlet Bahçeli supported. The MHP announced that they would jointly draft a new constitution that included an executive presidency with the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) in October 2016.

During the 11th Nationalist Movement Party Ordinary Congress, he was elected as a member of the MHP Central Executive Committee. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Gaziantep in the June 2015 general election and was re-elected in the November 2015 general election. On 14 November, he became a Deputy Leader of the Party responsible for the Turkish world and international relations.

In 2006, Özdağ announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). His candidacy was rejected and his party membership was revoked two days later, with incumbent leader Devlet Bahçeli being re-elected. Özdağ subsequently returned to Gazi University as a lecturer. He returned to the MHP in 2010 following a successful lawsuit, being fielded as a parliamentary candidate from İstanbul's second electoral district for the 2011 general election. Being in fourth place in his party's candidate list, he was not elected.

prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ in 2005, “21. He founded and chaired the think tank named “Twentieth Century Turkey Institute”. After 2015, Özdağ continued his duty as the chairman of the board of directors of the 21st Century Turkey Institute until 2021.

Assoc. Dr. Ümit Özdağ started to publish and edited the quarterly international relations and strategic research journal named “Eurasia File”, which was to be published until 2004.

Ümit Özdağ established the strategic research center "Diyanet Research Center" (DIYAM), which examines religious relations and problems from a strategic point of view, for the Presidency of Religious Affairs in 2003 and served as its chairman for six months.

In addition to his academic and political studies on Turkey's security, Özdağ also fought for democracy not only through discourse but also through action. Ümit Özdağ, who became a professor in 2001, left Gazi University by protesting the anti-democratic rector appointment made by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at Gazi University in 2005, saying that he would not give lectures at universities as long as Sezer was President. prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ returned to teaching at Gazi University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, after the presidential term of President Ahmet N. Sezer expired.

Ümit Özdağ established the Eurasian Strategic Research Center (ASAM), one of the largest strategic research centers in the world and the first of the modern strategic research institutions in Turkey, in 1999. In 2000, he established the Armenian Studies Institute affiliated to ASAM. Ümit Özdağ was the chairman and chairman of the board of directors of ASAM until 2004.

Ümit Özdağ conducted research on globalization and ethnic issues in Eurasia at Towson University in Baltimore, USA, between 1997-1998, and gave lectures on the same subjects.

Dr. Özdağ received the title of associate professor of political theory in 1993 with his thesis on "Army-Political Relations in the Menderes Period and the May 27 Military Movement".

Ümit Özdağ started to work as a research assistant at Gazi University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in 1986. He became a doctor of political science in 1990 with his study on "Army-Political Relations in the Period of Atatürk and İnönü".

Ümit Özdağ completed his higher education at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich between 1980-1986. He studied political science and philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Ümit Özdağ prepared his graduate study on "Planned Development and State Planning Organization in Turkey".

Özdağ, who has been conducting research on terrorism and ethnic problems since the late 1980s, carried out socio-political field research in the provinces that received immigrants from our Eastern, Southeastern and Southeastern Anatolian provinces in 1995. In 1997, he conducted field research in the Mutki district of Bitlis. In 1996, he carried out economic-centered research in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in Northern Iraq.

Ümit Özdağ completed his primary, secondary and high school education at TED Ankara College. During his high school years, Ümit Özdağ started a political struggle within the idealist movement (Ülkücü Movement) at Çankaya Ülkü Ocakları and Ankara College in Ankara. Due to the nationalist activities during this struggle, he was dismissed from Ankara College with a certificate of approval upon the instruction of the Governor of Ankara at the time, after the classes were completed on the last day of the 1977/78 academic year. Therefore, Ümit Özdağ received his high school diploma from Aktepe High School in Ankara.

Ümit Özdağ (born 3 March 1961) is a Turkish politician who is the leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant Victory Party and a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He was deputy leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) from November 2015 to February 2016. He announced his candidacy for the party leadership for the 8th MHP Ordinary Congress in 2006, but had his membership revoked two days later. After returning to the party following a successful lawsuit, he again announced his candidacy for the MHP leadership in April 2016 for the 2016 Nationalist Movement Party Extraordinary Congress, which was eventually called off after numerous legal disputes. He had his party membership revoked by the MHP High Disciplinary Board on 15 November 2016 joined the Good Party. In April 2019, he resigned from party's executive board but announced that he will continue to be in the party and continue his party-related activities. On 16 November 2020, Özdağ was also dismissed from the Good Party. He founded the Victory Party on August 26, 2021 and was elected the first chairman.

Ümit Özdağ was born on 3 March 1961 in Tokyo, Japan, where his father Muzaffer Özdağ(Army Officer) served as a Turkish government advisor after the Coup d'etat of 1960. His parents are from the cities of Kayseri and Gaziantep in Turkey. His family is of Kumyk origin.

His mother, Gönül Özdağ, who is a former lawyer, is the founder and she would go on to serve as the first MHP Women's Wing President. His father was a close ally of MHP founder Alparslan Türkeş and served as a member of the National Unity Committee that was installed following the 1960 Turkish coup d'état.