Turkish political leader and journalist born to a middle-class family in
Istanbul
in 1925. He began his political career in 1957 as an elected M.P. representing
the Republican People's Party (CHP), a centre-left
party.
Turkish political leader and journalist born to a middle-class family in
Istanbul
in 1925. He began his political career in 1957 as an elected M.P. representing
the Republican People's Party (CHP), a centre-left
party.
In 1961, he was appointed Minister of Labor in the government led by Ismet Inönü, CHP's chairman, until 1965. Ecevit's career within the CHP progressed rapidly : elected Party Secretary General in 1966, he led the party further left under the banner of "democratic socialism" arguing that it was the best way to defend Turkey against the threat of communism.
In March 1971, Bülent Ecevit resigned from office in response to his party's support of the new government formed by Dr. Erim after Süleyman Demirel had been pressured by the military coup to resign; Ecevit was protesting against the persistent intervention of the military in domestic politics. A year later, Ecevit replaced Inönü as Chairman of the CHP party which he led to victory in the 1973 General Elections. In 1974, he formed with the MSP, Necmettin Erbakan's islamist leaning party, a short-lived coalition government which tried to reduce the excesses of the police state created by the military, lifted the ban on opium production introduced in 1974 under U.S. pressure and sent troops to Cyprus in July 1974 to protect the local Turkish minority after the Greek coup in Athens and took control of northern Cyprus. However, the coalition was not viable, and as a result, Ecevit resigned in November of the same year, replaced by Demirel.
Cheered by the masses, Ecevit formed another government in January 1978, promising to put an end to the deepening economic crisis and the rising political violence. His government adopted unsuccessfully an economic stabilization program partly underwritten by the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Inflation and unemployment continued to soar dramatically while political and ethnic violence worsened with, on one hand deadly attacks on the Alevi minority by the fascists groups and, on the other hand, the birth of Kurdish separatism by PKK. Ecevit resigned in October 1979 and once again replaced by Demirel.
Following the 1981 army coup, most parties were banned, among which the CHP. Bülent Ecevit eventually re-emerged in 1987 as head of the newly-founded DSP (Democratic Left Party, founded in 1985 by his wife Rahsan Ecevit). At first a minor party, the DSP became the leading party on the left of the political spectrum. It is generally opposed to free-market reforms, but approves of membership in NATO and further integration with Europe. Bülent Ecevit is well known for his nationalistic fervors.
The DSP has been part of a governmental coalition with ANAP from July 1997 until November 1998, Bülent Ecevit serving as deputy Prime Minister.
He then was called to form a government to last until the legislative elections brought forward to 18 April 1999. His minority government (the sixth since the 1995 general elections) - composed by DSP only - obtained a parliamentary majority thanks to the the support of ANAP and DYP.
Bülent Ecevit, who was already remembered as the Turkish Prime Minister who intervened Cyprus, suddenly became very popular when he announced on 16 February 1999 the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. His party, DSP, jumped from 14,6 to 22% of the votes and became the first on the Turkish political scene after the general elections of April 1999, followed by the far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) of Devlet Bahçeli, the Virtue Party (Fazilet, islamist) and the Motherland Party (ANAP) of Mesut Yilmaz.
Following these elections, Ecevit now is the Prime Minister and leads a coalition government with the MHP and the ANAP which have a clear majority (351 seats out of a total of 550) in parliament to pass economic reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This coalition government faced its vote of confidence in parliament on June 6 and took it. In this government, DSP got the Foreign Ministry portfolio, while MHP got the Defense and ANAP the Interior.
Although he is a very erudite person who speaks perfectly English and reads Sanskrit (he translated T.S. Eliott and Rabindranath Tagore in Turkish), he never got any university degree and consequently could not become President of Turkey.
Place of Birth: Istanbul,
Turkey
Date of Birth: November 6, 1947
Schooling: Received a degree in finance/economics from Ankara
University, did graduate studies in economics and social sciences in Germany.
Career Path:
Forms Motherland Party in 1983 with former
president Turgut Ozal
Elected Deputy of Turkish Grand Assembly (November
1983)
Appointed State Minister of Information (December 1983)
Minister of Culture and Tourism (1986)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (December 1987)
Prime Minister (Governments
of June - October 1991, March
- June 1996, June 1997-1998)
Political Goals and Strategies:
Yilmaz has been described as an ardent secularist in the grand tradition
of Atatürk. He has aggressively pursued
privatization of the economy, and has worked to reform the tax code and
the social security system. He has concentrated on resolving the Kurdish
uprisings by PKK in Eastern
Anatolia, and worked to reduce violence and improve Turkey’s
human-rights record.
He was born in Osmaniye in 1948 . He is from a large
Turcoman family in
the community known as Fettahogullari.
Dr. Bahçeli, who completed his primary education in Osmaniye and secondary education in Istanbul, had his university education in Ankara Economic and Commercial Sciences Academy.
Dr. Bahçeli has undertaken missions at each stage of idealist Movement from the very beginning and served for the Great Idealist Cause. Dr. Bahçeli, when he was a student in the Ankara Economic and Commercial Sciences Academy in the year 1967, became a Founder of the Idealist Club and a manager. He had the post of Secretary General of the Turkish National Students Federation between the years 1970-1971. While Dr. Bahçeli participated in the Idealist Movement actively, he also maintained his activities in the scientific field.
As of the year 1972, he taught as an instructor in the Ankara Economic and Commercial Sciences Academy and in the Higher Schools under this Academy. He was also one of the founders and presidents of idealist Financiers and Economists Association, of the University, Academy and Higher Schools Assistants’ Association (ÜMID-BIR and ÜNAY). He speaks English well and he had his Doctorate Degree on Economy in the Gazi University Social Sciences Institute and continued his carrier in the same university, Faculty of Economic And Administrative Sciences, Department of the Main Science by the year 1987.
Dr. Bahçeli, within this time period, was busy with the subjects of Turkish - Islamic world, Turkish and World Economy, Turkish History and Foreign Policy and conducted researches and studies in these fields. After the 12 September 1980 coup d’etat, he conducted activities of defense of the right causes of the members, who have filled the prisons, of the MHP and the Idealist organizations, worth of appreciation.
Dr. Bahçeli, upon being called by Leader (Basbug) Alparslan Türkes for mission, has undertaken significant tasks, resigned his post of instruction in the university on 17 April 1987 and he was elected to the party administration in the Great Congress of the MHP and assigned for the post of Secretary General.
His official position in the MÇP (Nationalist Labor Party) and MHP has continued up to now uninterruptedly. At various times, he has assumed many posts such as Secretary General, Assistant Party Leader, Central Executive Board Membership, Central Decision Board Membership, Chief Consultant to the Party Leader, and Dr. Bahçeli was elected as the MHP Leader following the Extraordinary Congress held on 6 July 1997.
He has elected as the Party Leader again in the MHP 5th Ordinary Congress held on 23 November 1997.
After the '99 elections MHP came out as second party and Dr. Bahçeli became the Deputy Prime Minister under the Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. But during the general elections of 2002 his party couldn't pass the 10% threshold therefore stayed out of the Parliament.
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