Who is former CHP Chairman Altan Öymen who passed away?

Altan Öymen was born in Istanbul on June 20, 1932. His father was Hıfzırrahman Raşit Öymen, and his mother was Fatma Nezaket Öymen. He had a brother named Örsan and a sister named Gülden. He was the son of his uncle Onur Öymen and his aunt Bilsay Kuruç. Altan Öymen's father was from Trabzon, and his mother was from Bolu. Due to his family's move to Ankara, he completed his primary and secondary education there. He completed his undergraduate studies in the Financial Branch of the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University in 1955.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

A journalist since 1950, Öymen began his career as a parliamentary correspondent at Ulus newspaper and, after working for two years, became Tercüman's Ankara representative. In 1957, he became Editor-in-Chief of Yeni Gün newspaper. Between 1958 and 1960, he wrote for Ulus and Akis newspapers. Between 1960 and 1961, he became Editor-in-Chief of Öncü newspaper. He wrote for Akşam, Cumhuriyet, and Günaydın newspapers and worked as a reporter, interviewer, manager, writer, and editor-in-chief at Milliyet newspaper for many years. Between 1962 and 1966, he served as Press Attaché at the German Embassy in Bonn. He was a writer for the Milliyet series from 1966 to 1967, Editor-in-Chief of Ulus from 1967 to 1968, a columnist for Akşam from 1968 to 1972, and a correspondent for WDR and DPA. In 1972, he founded Anka News Agency and ran it until 1979. He prepared news broadcasts and documentaries for radio and television stations in Turkey and abroad.

Continuing his journalistic career in the 1980s and 1990s, Öymen worked as a writer for Cumhuriyet newspaper from 1980 to 1982. He joined Milliyet in 1982 as a member of its editorial board and a writer. From 1985 to 1995, he served as Milliyet's editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, and board member. He also wrote columns for Radikal newspaper for many years.

POLITICAL CAREER

In 1950, he enrolled in the Republican People's Party (CHP) with his university friends. He began his active political career in 1961 as a member of the founding assembly. He entered parliament as a CHP deputy for Ankara in the 1977 Turkish general elections. That same year, he served as Minister of Tourism and Promotion in the 40th Government of Turkey, formed by Bülent Ecevit. Between 1978 and 1979, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Republican People's Party's Grand National Assembly Group and as a member of the Turkish Delegation to the Council of Europe. He served as Deputy Secretary General of the Republican People's Party (CHP) between 1979 and 1980.

In the 1995 Turkish general elections, he re-entered parliament as a CHP MP for Istanbul and served as his party's deputy group chairman. Following the 1999 Turkish general elections, Deniz Baykal resigned from the party chairmanship after his party was excluded from parliament. Following Baykal's 27th Extraordinary Congress held on May 23, 1999, he was elected as the new chairman, a position he held for 15 months. At the congress held on September 30, 2000, Öymen once again ran for chairman. He challenged former chairman Deniz Baykal, who had re-nominated at the convention. The presidential election was closely contested and took place in three rounds. He lost to Deniz Baykal in the third round and relinquished his chairmanship.

Source: News Center