Mesut Yılmaz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz | |
 |
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| Born | 6 November 1947 İstanbul |
|---|---|
| Title | 53rd Prime Minister of Turkey |
| Term | 1991, 1996, 1997 - 1999 |
| Predecessor | Yıldırım Akbulut, Tansu Çiller, Necmettin Erbakan |
| Successor | Süleyman Demirel, Necmettin Erbakan, Bülent Ecevit |
| Political party | Anap (Motherland Party) |
| Spouse | Berna Yılmaz |
Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz (born 6 November 1947 in Istanbul) is the former leader of "Anavatan Partisi" (ANAP, the Motherland Party) and the Turkish prime minister in the 1990s. Viewed as a slightly conservative and relic of the old ways of the 1980s and 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 majortiy 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 Dogru Yol Partisi, or True Path Party. Yılmaz also made the Motherland Party more business-friendly and Europe-oriented, causing the more conservative, religious wing to switch to the Refah Partisi, or Welfare Party, of Necmettin Erbakan. In October 1998 over tension about alleged Hafez al-Assad's support to separatist Kurd party PKK, he set off a furor in the Arab world by threatening to "poke out the eyes" of Syria [1]. 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 and his trial started at the Supreme Court in 2005 but found innocent the following year.
[edit] Career Path
- 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] External links
| Preceded by Yıldırım Akbulut |
Leader of the Motherland Party 1991–2002 |
Succeeded by Ali Talip Özdemir |
| Preceded by Vahit Melih Halefoğlu |
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey 1987–1990 |
Succeeded by Ali Hüsrev Bozer |
| Preceded by Yıldırım Akbulut Tansu Çiller Necmettin Erbakan |
Prime Minister of Turkey 1991 1996 1997–1999 |
Succeeded by Süleyman Demirel Necmettin Erbakan Bülent Ecevit |
| Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey |  |
|---|---|
| Bekir Sami Kunduk • Ahmet Muhtar Mollaoğlu • Yusuf Kemal Tengirşenk • İsmet İnönü • Şükrü Kaya • Tevfik Rüştü Aras • Şükrü Saracoğlu • Numan Menemencioğlu • Hasan Saka • Necmettin Sadak • Mehmet Fuat Köprülü • Adnan Menderes • Fatin Rüştü Zorlu • Ethem Menderes • Selim Sarper • Feridun Cemal Erkin • Hasan Esat Işık • İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil • Osman Olcay • Haluk Bayülken • Turan Güneş • Metin Esenbel • Gündüz Ökçün • Hayrettin Erkmen • Ertuğrul Ekrem Ceyhun • İlter Türkmen • Vahit Melih Halefoğlu • Mesut Yılmaz • Ali Bozer • Ahmet Kurtcebe Alptemoçin • Safa Giray • Hikmet Çetin • Mümtaz Soysal • Murat Karayalçın • Erdal İnönü • Coşkun Kırca • Deniz Baykal • Emre Gönensay • Tansu Çiller • İsmail Cem • Şükrü Sina Gürel • Yaşar Yakış • Abdullah Gül |
Turkish War of Independence (1920 - 1923)
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk • Fevzi Çakmak • Rauf Orbay • Ali Fethi Okyar
Republic of Turkey (1923 - present)
İsmet İnönü • Ali Fethi Okyar • Celal Bayar • Refik Saydam • Ahmet Fikri Tüzer • Şükrü Saracoğlu • Mehmet Recep Peker • Hasan Saka • Şemsettin Günaltay • Adnan Menderes • Cemal Gürsel • Emin Fahrettin Özdilek • Suat Hayri Ürgüplü • Süleyman Demirel • Nihat Erim • Ferit Melen • Naim Talu • Bülent Ecevit • Sadi Irmak • Bülend Ulusu • Turgut Özal • Yıldırım Akbulut • Mesut Yılmaz • Tansu Çiller • Necmettin Erbakan • Abdullah Gül • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
| Leaders of the Motherland Party |
|---|
| Turgut Özal • Yıldırım Akbulut • Mesut Yılmaz • Ali Talip Özdemir • Nesrin Nas • Erkan Mumcu |
