Ülgür GÖKHAN, Mayor of Çanakkale was born in 1950 in Çanakkale as member of a long established and social democrat family. Since his childhood education, he has grown as a republican tightly bound to democracy and Atatürk principles. His education started in Çanakkale and continued at Galatasaray High School in İstanbul.

His owned values coinciding and combining with the progressive democratic line of Galatasaray High School, and his university education which started in 1975 at Ankara University, Department of Civil Service (Mülkiye), had a major influence on his political life and his administrative approach.

When he went to Ankara for his university education, he had the opportunity to meet Hale GÖKHAN who later became his wife and supported him in all their life.

GÖKHAN family has a son and a daughter, still growing with new members.

Ülgür GÖKHAN joined the political life and started to gain a great experience in local government affairs by becoming first Member of the City Council from SHP, during the local elections in 1989 then moved to the position of Founding Chairman of CHP in Çanakkale when the latter was re-established in 1992.

With the political knowledge and experience he has acquired, again in the local elections of 1999, he became Member of Municipality Council from CHP.

In 2002, he was elected Mayor of Çanakkale by the Minority Council as the position became vacant due to the actual mayor’s candidacy for the Parliament.

After the elections held in the Municipality Council, he continued his successful management of the city until the year of 2004.

Because of the ongoing demand on his administrative continuation, both from the city folks and from his party organization, he claimed for a reassignment from the citizens using the motto ‘First Human then Mayor’

With the vision of “Çanakkale Municipality Governs the Modern City of Peace”, he defended and protected all the values of the city and put great effort to enhance them.

In the local elections of 2009, using the mottto “I am here for a better liveable Çanakkale” he again claimed for a reassignment. With great support of the citizens, he became once again the representative of the city and the citizens. Urban infrastructure problems largely solved during his office, the city has enjoyed significant environmental investments, new living spaces and more comfortable urban design projects.

In 2014 and 2019, he was selected again by his party as the candidate for local elections and beated his vote record using the slogan ‘I trust myself as well as my City’ and re-became the Mayor Çanakkale, City of Peace and Freedoms.

Mayor Gökhan is aware of the great responsibility present on his shoulders and with the power of love and trust of the citizens, he has been working non-stop in order to make out of the people of Çanakkale happier citizens and Çanakkale to grow and protect the owned values.

Not only with his political identity, the Mayor GÖKHAN served the city also as a business man offering value-added services and creating jobs. He served in the Management Councils of Çanakkale Chamber of Commerce and Industry and served in the Management Board of Çanakkale Sports Club. He became former president of Rotary Club. He is the member of Union of Galatasaray Alumni Associations and Council Member of GS Sports Club. Also he is the Council Member of Association of Historic Towns. Throughout his office, he has been honored with various awards from various institutions, both sports & works in the field of culture, including the mayor of the year award.

Mayor GÖKHAN carries on his office and raises the existing values of the city with the understanding of governing Çanakkale, the City of Peace with the citizens from different political, cultural and ethnic structures enriching the city with their own colors, where no one marginalizes the other and where everyone has a right to say.