Gürsel Baran Re-elected as ATO President

ATO Chairman Gürsel Baran Renewed Confidence According to the announcement made by ATO, in the first-stage elections held on 8 November, a total of 452 committee members were elected, of which 192 are Assembly members representing the Chamber's 160 thousand members. Following the finalization of election results, ATO held balloting for a second time to elect the Board of Directors Chairman, full and alternate Board of Directors members, full and alternate Disciplinary Board members, and delegates to the General Assembly of the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). The elections, conducted under the supervision of the Çankaya 4th District Election Board Chairmanship, took place in the ATO Assembly Hall. At the elections, Gürsel Baran, the sole candidate for the Board of Directors Chairmanship, arrived to cast his vote alongside TOBB Chairman Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Mustafa Deryal, who served as Assembly Chairman at ATO until the elections. Baran and Hisarcıklıoğlu placed their ballot envelopes in the ballot box together. At 13:00, the ballot boxes were closed and votes were counted. In the election where Gürsel Baran ran as the sole candidate on a single slate, 187 of ATO's 192 Assembly members cast votes. In the elections where one vote was deemed invalid, Baran, receiving 185 of 186 valid votes, was elected Board of Directors Chairman. According to election results, Board of Directors members are Adem Ali Yılmaz, Ahmet Akça, Ali Yıldız, Halil İbrahim Yılmaz, Halil İlik, Naki Demir, Nihat Uysallı, Ömer Çağlar Yılmaz, Temel Aktay and Yasin Özyolu.  

"The Winner is Ankara"

In his assessment of the elections included in the statement, Baran noted that they conducted an election befitting ATO's centuries-old accumulation and Guild traditions, with broad participation, in fraternity and peace. Baran drew attention to the fact that 38,565 people obtained authorization certificates and 24,455 members cast votes, making this the highest-participation election in the Chamber's history, and continued as follows: "1,628 candidates competed for a total of 452 positions, of which 192 are Assembly members. With the addition of 78 new Assembly members to our ranks, 41 percent of our Assembly has been renewed, average age is now 49, and the number of women assembly members has increased to 7. Including committee members, the renewal rate is 58.6 percent," he stated.

Emphasizing that the elections are a competition covering the period until results are announced, Baran noted the following:

"From this point on, the only winner is and shall be Ankara and ATO members. Now is the time to set aside all identities and continue working, producing, and contributing to our members and our city from where we left off. From now on, we will direct all our energy towards our members, towards protecting and advancing their rights and interests, towards the development of our trade and exports, towards the progress and growth of Ankara's economy, and ultimately for the country's economy." Baran recalled that ATO would also celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023 and provided information on the work to be undertaken in the new term. Noting that they are Ankara's largest and Turkey's second-largest civil society organization, Baran offered the following assessment: "As the future of Ankara and our country is being built, we will also put our shoulders to the wheel. Maintaining this initial enthusiasm and excitement, we will work with the same awareness at the table, in the field, in production and sales areas, wherever we may be. ATO will be present wherever Ankara needs it, will be the breath, morale, and support of its members, and will make an effort by putting its shoulder to the wheel for Ankara's problems. God willing, we will be among those who leave a mark from ATO."   Source