Tarhan Erdem was born in Bartın in 1933. He worked in the private sector for many years. In 1977, he was elected as the CHP Member of Parliament for İstanbul. He served as the General Secretary of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) between 1999 and 2000. Having founded the opinion polling company KONDA in 1987, he has come into prominence as a commentator especially in electoral periods. Apart from writing as a columnist for Radikal newspaper, he is the author of several books, most notably Anayasa ve Seçim Kanunları (The Constitution and Electoral Law) and Tıkanan Siyaset (The Political Gridlock).