Mesut Yılmaz
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| Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz | |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of Turkey | |
| In office 30 June 1997 – 11 January 1999 |
|
| President | Süleyman Demirel |
| Preceded by | Necmettin Erbakan |
| Succeeded by | Bülent Ecevit |
| In office 6 March 1996 – 28 June 1996 |
|
| President | Süleyman Demirel |
| Preceded by | Tansu Çiller |
| Succeeded by | Necmettin Erbakan |
| In office 23 June 1991 – 20 November 1991 |
|
| President | Turgut Özal |
| Preceded by | Yıldırım Akbulut |
| Succeeded by | Süleyman Demirel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 November 1947 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Political party | Anap (Motherland Party) |
| Spouse(s) | Berna Yılmaz |
| Alma mater | Ankara University |
Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz (Turkish pronunciation: [meˈsut jɯɫˈmaz]; born 6 November 1947 in Istanbul) is the former leader of the Motherland Party (Turkish: Anavatan Partisi, ANAP) and was the Turkish prime minister in the 1990s.
Mesut Yılmaz was a rising star in the Motherland Party of Turgut Özal, representing the Black Sea province of Rize in the parliament and serving as tourism minister in Ozal's cabinet. Upon Özal's election to the presidency in 1989, Yılmaz became the leader of an intraparty opposition to the new Prime Minister, Yıldırım Akbulut.
Yılmaz managed to discharge Akbulut from party leadership and from all executive functions during the biennial party congress in June 1991. Because ANAP had the majority in the parliament he subsequently became Prime Minister of Turkey.
The following years saw a decline in the popularity of the Motherland Party and an acrimonious relationship with Tansu Çiller, leader of the center-right True Path Party (DYP). Yılmaz also made the Motherland Party more business-friendly and Europe-oriented, causing the more conservative, religious wing to switch to the Welfare Party (RP) of Necmettin Erbakan.
His term was marked by the Susurluk scandal, during which he admitted the existence of the JİTEM counter-terrorist Gendarmerie unit.[1] The scandal led to the resignation of his Interior Minister, Mehmet Ağar (a leader of the True Path Party, DYP), following revelations that Abdullah Çatlı, leader of the far-right Grey Wolves organisation, worked for the state.[1] Yılmaz' concerns over his own safety, owing to his support of the Susurluk investigation, led to his briefly carrying a gun in self-defense.[2]
In October 1998, he set off a furor in the Arab world by threatening to "poke out the eyes" of Syria over Hafez al-Assad's alleged support of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party.[3]
Yılmaz's last stint as Prime Minister ended in 1999. He continued as a politician, however, serving as a deputy prime minister in a coalition led by Bülent Ecevit from 1999 to 2002. After his failure to win entry into the Grand National Assembly in 2002 elections, Yılmaz retired from politics to pursue a teaching career. After almost 4 years, Yılmaz announced his return to politics in August 2006.
He was charged by the state public prosecutor with corruption during his tenure as prime minister. He was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2006.
In the 2007 general election he was elected as independent member of parliament from Rize.
[edit] Chronology
- Forms Motherland Party in 1983 with former president Turgut Özal
- Elected Deputy of Turkish Grand National Assembly (November 1983)
- Appointed State Minister for 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- January 1999)
[edit] References
- ^ a b 1998 Report from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), chapter II, "SUSURLUK SCANDAL: Counter-guerilla Affairs", p.39-86 (see p.46)
- ^ Özkok, Ertuğrul (1998-01-18). "Tabancanın altındaki mavi dosya" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/haber.aspx?id=-2927&yazarid=10. Retrieved 2008-12-23. "En üstte bir tabanca duruyordu. 'Güneş hediye etti' dedikten sonra tabancayı uzattı. Avusturya malı, Glock marka bir tabanca. Özelliği çok hafif oluşu. Mesut Bey'in çantasında ilk defa silah taşıdığını görüyorum. Demek ki Susurluk olayı bazı şeyleri değiştirmiş."
- ^ "Hopes for Turkey-Syria settlement". BBC News. 1998-10-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/191228.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vahit Melih Halefoğlu |
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Dec 22, 1987–Feb 20, 1990 |
Succeeded by Ali Bozer |
| Preceded by Yıldırım Akbulut |
Prime Minister of Turkey Jun 23, 1991–Nov 20, 1991 |
Succeeded by Süleyman Demirel |
| Preceded by Tansu Çiller |
Prime Minister of Turkey Mar 6, 1996–Jun 28, 1996 |
Succeeded by Necmettin Erbakan |
| Preceded by Necmettin Erbakan |
Prime Minister of Turkey Jun 30, 1997–Jan 11, 1999 |
Succeeded by Bülent Ecevit |
| Preceded by Hüsamettin Özkan Hikmet Uluğbay |
Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Jul 13, 2000–Nov 19, 2002 |
Succeeded by Mehmet Ali Şahin Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır Abdüllatif Şener |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Yıldırım Akbulut |
Leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP) Jun 15, 1991–Nov 4, 2002 |
Succeeded by Ali Talip Özdemir |
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- 1947 births
- Living people
- People from Istanbul
- Turkish people of Hemshin descent
- Motherland Party (Turkey) politicians
- Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey
- Prime Ministers of Turkey
- Deputy Prime Ministers of Turkey
- Leaders of political parties in Turkey
- Istanbul High School alumni
- Ministers of Culture of Turkey
