Ümit Özdağ is a Turkish politician who was born on June 17, 1961, in Istanbul, Turkey. He graduated from Istanbul Technical University with a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and later received his master’s and Ph.D. in Political Science from Istanbul University.
He started his political career in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and served as a member of the party’s central executive committee. Later, he joined the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and was elected as a Member of Parliament for Istanbul in the 2002 and 2007 elections. He also served as an advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In 2015, he was not nominated for the AKP’s candidate list in the general elections and subsequently became critical of the party’s policies, particularly on issues related to democracy, human rights, and rule of law. He was expelled from the party in 2019 after he made statements that were seen as critical of President Erdogan.
Following his expulsion from the AKP, Ümit Özdağ founded the Future Party in 2019 and became its leader. The party is known for its conservative and nationalist political views and has been critical of the AKP’s policies, particularly on issues related to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
In addition to his political career, Ümit Özdağ is also an academic and has published several books on political science, democracy, and nationalism.