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From 1923 to the Present
The Government of the Turkish Grand National Assembly saved
the country from being partitioned and occupied with the
National War of Independence. A few months following the
signing of the Lausanne Treaty, in which the Allied powers
and the world recognized the independence and sovereignty
of Turkey, the Republican People's Party was established
on 9 September 1923 and Mustafa Kemal was elected as its
chairman. The administrative staff of the party was composed
of the military staff who directed the national struggle
and high-level bureaucrats. The party led by the leader
and the hero of the Turkish War of Independence stood for
modernizing and westernizing reforms in the political, judicial
and educational fields. These developments, however, disturbed
the conservative elements in the National Assembly. The
discussions flared up on such issues as what would happen
now that the sultanate was abolished and how the parliament
would now act, with which authorities and on whose behalf.
The institutions and the office of the Caliphate, meanwhile
stood in stark contradiction to the new administration.
All these developments made a radical transformation compulsory.
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Atatürk and the accompanying delegation
in front of
the Turkish Grand National Assembly Building, 29 October
1933. |
Thus, the Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923 in
order to give the state a democratic form in the contemporary
sense. Mustafa Kemal, the successful and great charismatic
leader of the national struggle for independence, was elected
unanimously as the first President of the Republic of Turkey.
He appointed Ýsmet Ýnönü as the first Prime Minister.
Thus, the discussions and doubts about the Presidency were
ended. Four months later, the Caliphate, which was incompatible
with the principle of republicanism, was abolished and the
members of the Ottoman Dynasty were expatriated on 3 March
1924.
Being aware of the fact that the separation of religious
and state affairs and the provision of freedom of religion
and conscience for individuals were among the prerequisites
of forming a modern society, Mustafa Kemal initiated in
the framework of the "principle of secularity"
the most important changes. After the abolition of the Caliphate,
a series of radical reforms were made in the institutions
and mentality connected to the Caliphate. The Ministry of
Shariah and Foundations was replaced by the Chairmanship
of Religious Affairs and the Directorate of Foundations,
both connected to the Prime Ministry. The religious school
order was abolished on 3 March 1924 with the Unification
of Education Law and all schools and educational matters
were united under the Ministry of National Education. The
Shariah Courts were replaced by secular courts with the
Judicial Organization Law. The wearing of the turban and
fez that were symbols of the former order were banned and
the "hat" became the official headgear, following
the promulgation of the Hat Law on 25 November 1925. Thus,
the traditional symbols in attire, indicating differences
of class, rank and religious order were removed. The international
hour and calendar systems were adopted on 26 November 1925.
The dervish lodges and tombs and the titles of tariqahs
(sects) were abolished on 25 November 1925. A Turkish Civil
Code was accepted on 17 February 1926 to replace the old
civil code and the Shariah Laws which were the foundation
stones of Ottoman law. The acceptance of the Turkish Civil
Code made it necessary to secularize all legislation and
the Code of Obligations, the Criminal Code and the Commercial
Code were also rewritten according to contemporary principles.
Important steps were taken concerning women's rights. Polygamy
was forbidden and marriages, to be officially recognized,
had to be performed in accordance with the civil code, not
according to religious ceremonies as in the past. Also,
a law was promulgated which made it necessary to get a court
decree to get a divorce. Women obtained the right to vote
and be elected in the municipal elections in 1930, in elections
held for village councils in 1933 and in 1934, they obtained
the right to vote and be elected into the Turkish Grand
National Assembly.
One of the most important reforms initiated by Atatürk
was the preparation of a new Turkish alphabet by a board
of linguists and academicians and the law which envisaged
the use of Latin letters was adopted by the TGNA on 1 November
1928. The adoption of this new phonetic alphabet was an
important step taken to help increase the literacy rate
which had been very low.
The old units of measurement and weight were changed in
1931. Commercial and economic transactions were facilitated
with the acceptance of the metric system and a standard
system of measurement was established throughout Turkey.
The Surname Law was adopted on 21 June 1934. Mustafa Kemal,
the founder of the new Turkish State and Republic, was given
the surname of "Atatürk" (Father of the Turks)
by the TGNA.
The efforts to create a modern country based on secular
foundations was also reflected in the Constitution. An amendment
made to the Constitution in 1928 removed the clause which
had stated that the religion of the state is Islam. A clause
was put in the Constitution in 1937 stating that Turkey
is a secular state. Along with these developments, Atatürk
established the Turkish Historical Society in 1925 and Turkish
Linguistic Society in 1932 in order to strengthen the foundations
of the new national state and contribute to the development
of a national consciousness among the Turkish people.
The struggle for independence the Turks waged against
the imperialist states and the radical social, political
and economic reforms initiated by Atatürk, constituted an
important example and model for the Third World countries.
Domestic and Foreign Policy During the Atatürk
Period
Atatürk realized the reforms with the leadership of the
Republican People's Party (CHP), which had been established
not as a party of any class or group in the society, but
as a party of all the people, and these reforms were adopted
by the people.
A short time after the CHP was established, the first experiment
for a transition to a multiparty system was made. The opponents
of the secular and modernizing policies of the government,
and who thought that the reforms were not compatible with
the social and political structure of Turkey, including
a group of commanders from the National War of Independence,
such as Rauf Orbay, Kazim Karabekir and Ali Fuat Cebesoy,
resigned from the CHP and established the Progressive Republican
Party on 17 November 1924. Kazim Karabekir was elected as
the chairman of this first opposition party. The Party was
"conservative", not "reactionary" both
regarding its program and the mentality of its founders.
However, because it was the only opposition party, those
whose interests were harmed by the reforms, supported this
party, thus escalating the political passions. In fact,
many who were against the Republic and secular developments
joined this party. Meanwhile, the reactionary Sheik Said
rebellion broke out in Southeastern Anatolia and the government
closed the Progressive Republican Party on 3 June 1925.
The second experiment with multiparty democracy in the
Atatürk period, started with the establishment of the Free
Republican Party on 12 August 1930. The Free Party was established
with the approval of Atatürk himself. The party was established
by Fethi Okyar, the former Prime Minister who was known
for his opposition to Ýsmet Ýnönü. However, the new
party grew at an unexpectedly rapid pace. The reactionary
powers against the Republic, which also made use of the
problems created by the world economic crisis in 1929, started
to use the new party for their own objectives. Especially,
due to the unfortunate events which occurred during Fethi
Okyar's trip to Izmir, the party dissolved itself on 17
November 1930.
The Republic administration first of all adopted a model
based on private enterprise for developing the backward
economy it had inherited, but in time it was forced to adopt
statism to an increasing degree.
During the Atatürk period, a foreign policy was followed
based on the borders of the National Pact of 1920 and on
peace. As the result of successful diplomacy, the Montreux
Agreement was signed in 1936, ensuring that the Istanbul
and the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) Straits were included
in the national defense system.
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| King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
during his visit to Istanbul in 1936 |
Friendship policies to be followed with all the neighboring
countries were made widespread with the Balkan Pact in 1934
and the Sadabad Pact in 1937. The peace policy aimed at
Europe and a correct evaluation of the international conditions
made it possible to have Hatay rejoined to Turkey. Hatay,
which had previously been given to the French, was first
given independence and then it was rejoined to Turkey as
the result of a referendum. Meanwhile, the League of Nations,
refusing the Turkish requests, decided that the Mosul and
Kirkuk regions should stay under British control.
Hatay was the final foreign policy problem in which Atatürk
took an interest. Atatürk, with his dynamism, strong intuitions,
accurate assessments of the balances of power and correct
evaluations of domestic and foreign conditions, left behind
a state which had heartily adopted the reforms and modernized
institutions, which had taken significant steps in the direction
of the Western model when he passed away on 10 November
1938.
The Ýnönü Period and the Difficult Years
During the War
Ýsmet Ýnönü was elected as the second President of the Republic
following Atatürk's death. He was the President and the
party chairman at the same time. He led Turkey during the
most difficult years of both the world and Turkey. He tried
to overcome the difficulties stemming from the world economic
crisis with a policy of statism during the period when he
was the Prime Minister. He wanted to develop industry by
means of the State Economic Enterprises (SEEs) and took
important steps in this direction.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ýsmet Ýnönü and
Winston Churchill togethe
r in Cairo, Egypt, in December 1943. |
Ýnönü's greatest success was in keeping Turkey
out of the Second World War. His policy in this regard was
based on establishing various balances at the same time
and insisting adamantly on neutrality. When the Soviet-German
Agreement was signed on 23 August 1939, Ýnönü
thought that this agreement could harm Turkey and signed
agreements with France and Britain on 13 October 1939 and
obtained economic aid. Later he signed a nonaggression pact
with the Soviet Union on 25 March 1941. In June 1941, a
few days before Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Ýnönü
signed a nonaggression pact with Germany. This policy of
balances continued throughout the war. When the war was
about to end, Turkey sided with the USA, Britain and the
Soviet Union and declared war against Germany and Japan
and signed the United Nations communiqué dated 24
January 1945. Turkey, which was officially invited to the
San Francisco Conference on 5 March 1945, was among the
founding members of the United Nations.
Turkey did not enter the Second World War, but was negatively
affected by the war. Throughout the war a large army was
kept alert and ready, prices increased rapidly, many of
the basic food items were rationed, many items could not
be found or were sold on the black market.Ýnönü who was
a farsighted statesman and politician, not only sensed the
winds of freedom and democracy which had started to blow
throughout the Western World after the Second World War,
but also could not remain as a bystander to the social reactions
stemming from the problems of the war. In fact, he first
mentioned the necessity of "liberalizing the regime"
in 1945. Subsequently, he started talking about "the
need for an opposition party". He received with democratic
tolerance the birth of the Democrat Party from within the
CHP, its flourishing in 1946 and its coming to power with
the 1950 election.
Transition to the Multiparty Period
The Republican People's Party (CHP), the ruling party,
was also influenced by the winds of freedom and democracy
that started to blow throughout the world and especially
in Europe towards the end of the war and after the war.
A strong opposition movement appeared from within the party
which complained about the oppressive management of the
party and wanted more freedom and democracy. The tolerant
attitude of President Ýnönü also encouraged this movement.
Celal Bayar, Atatürk's last Prime Minister and Refik
Koraltan also joined this opposition movement which was
led at the beginning by Fuat Köprülü and
Adnan Menderes. These four deputies of Parliament filed
a famous motion to the Parliamentary Group of the CHP, which
was later referred to as the "Quartet Motion".
They wanted to change the party regulations and some of
the laws. Following the refusal of their motion, Bayar resigned
from the CHP and from the Parliament. Menderes, Köprülü,
and Koraltan were expelled from the CHP for not conforming
to party discipline.
Bayar, Menderes, Köprülü and Koraltan established
the Democrat Party (DP) on 7 January 1946. The establishment
of a new party was met with enthusiasm by the people who
had become tired of the oppressive policies of a single
party rule. The DP which defended a liberal economic approach
and democracy, developed rapidly in a short period of time.
It succeeded in entering Parliament in the 1946 elections
and came to power as a single power in the 14 May 1950 elections.
Thus, the single party period ended in Turkey and for the
first time a change in power was realized with the votes
of the people.
The DP increased its votes even more in the 1954 elections
and strengthened its power. Although it lost votes in the
1957 elections, it remained in power until 27 May 1960.
The DP brought a noticeable liveliness to the economy and
increased the living standards of people substantially during
its 10 years in power. The economy developed, the earnings
of the people increased, many villages were provided with
roads, water and electricity. New areas were taken under
cultivation, agricultural mechanization started, trade was
accelerated and important steps were taken for industrialization.
The period of orienting foreign capital and commercial capital
to industry was started.
Close cooperation with the United States that had been
adopted during the Ýnönü period acquired new dimensions
in the foreign policy of the DP period. The visit to Istanbul
of the US warship Missouri in 1946, the start of the first
military and economic aid from America with the implementation
of the "Truman Doctrine" and the "Marshall
Plan" strengthened the Western-oriented foundations
of the Turkish foreign policy, which had been laid by Ýnönü.
Turkey participated in the Korean War, became a member of
NATO in 1952 and foreign capital investments and petroleum
explorations by foreigners were encouraged during the DP
period.
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Ýsmet Ýnönü, the Chairman of the Republican
People's Party and
Prime Minister Adnan Menderes at a reception. |
The DP started to lose the support of the people as of
1954. The main reasons for this were the end of favorable
cycles in the foreign markets and a slow down in economic
growth. In particular, rapidly increasing inflation upset
the financial situation of the fixed income population in
urban areas, the military and civilian bureaucrats. Along
with the dissatisfaction of the people, the criticisms of
the opposition and the media became stronger. In response
to the criticism, the ruling party took measures which indicated
that it had lost control and started to resort to antidemocratic
methods. The obstacles which Ýnönü faced during his tours
of the country, increased the censorship of the press and
finally, along with the establishment of an "Investigation
Commission" a widespread debate began on the regime
in Turkey. The university students started demonstrations.
The situation became even more tense with the declaration
of martial law and eventually led to the military intervention
of 27 May 1960.
The 27 May Movement and the Interim Period
To remove the DP from power appeared to be an essential
precondition for the solution of the political and economic
problems of Turkey and to save the country and democracy,
especially for many officers who were sympathizers of Ýnönü.
These officers, of various ranks, who were organized under
the title of the National Unity Committee (MBK) led the
action in an orderly manner on the morning of 27 May 1960.
They removed the DP government and seized power. In the
announcement of the revolution, it was stated that the coup
was made to save democracy and to prevent fratricidal quarrels,
that it was not against any individual or class, and that
elections would be held in the shortest period of time and
the government would be transferred to the civilians. The
communiqué also stated that Turkey would remain as
a member of NATO and CENTO.
The overthrown President, Prime Minister, ministers, deputies
of the ruling party and the leading administrators of the
ruling party, were taken into custody at the War College.
General Cemal Gürsel, the leader of the coup d'état,
assumed the functions of the President, Prime Minister and
the Chief of General Staff. The TGNA was dissolved and the
MBK took over its legislative functions. A new cabinet,
composed chiefly of civilians, was formed on 17 June 1960.
There were, however, differences of opinion among the MBK
members. Some of the members wanted to hold elections as
soon as possible, while others wanted to hold the election
only after radical reforms were made. The members in the
second group were taken into custody on 13 November 1960
and were later appointed to various posts abroad.
The MBK established in December of the same year a "Constituent
Assembly" responsible for preparing a new constitution
and a new election law. The Constituent Assembly, which
was formed by the representatives of various institutions,
began to work on 5 January 1961. The drafts of the new constitution
prepared by academicians, were reviewed in the special commissions
of the Assembly and were submitted for discussion. The draft
to which the Constituent Assembly gave its final shape after
long deliberations, was adopted with a referendum held on
9 July 1961. The MBK left power to the civilians following
the elections held on 15 October 1961. In accordance with
the Constitution, the 22 members of the MBK entered into
Parliament as "Natural Senators" and Cemal Gürsel
was elected President.
The administrators of the DP, which had been overthrown
on 27 May 1960, were tried in the Supreme Justice Council,
a special court established at Yassiada by the MBK. The
court sentenced 15 administrators of the DP to death for
"violating the Constitution" and sentenced others
to various imprisonment penalties. A total of 12 of the
capital punishments were commuted into life imprisonment
by the MBK. However, Adnan Menderes, the Prime Minister;
Fatin Rüstü Zorlu, the Foreign Minister; and Hasan Polatkan,
the Minister of Finance, were executed. All of the others
who were imprisoned were later released through various
amnesty initiatives until 1964.
The Active 1960s and the AP Period
The first general election which followed the 27 May revolution
revealed an interesting picture. The total of the votes
of the Justice Party (AP) and the New Turkey Party (YTP),
two parties which claimed to be the continuation of the
DP, obtained more than the votes that the DP had obtained
in 1957. As for the votes of the CHP, these decreased from
41 percent to 37 percent. This result was an expression
of the fact that the political tendencies of the people
had not changed and that in fact, the people had reacted
to the revolution.
The AP, which would thereafter influence the political
life in Turkey in the 1960s and the 1970s, was established
on 11 February 1961. The first chairman of the party was
Ret. General Ragip Gümüspala.
Following the elections after the revolution, the first
government which was formed under the leadership of Ýsmet Ýnönü was a coalition of CHP and AP. This partnership
eased the transformation to a civilian regime, but did not
last long due to the lack of harmony between the coalition
partners.
Süleyman Demirel, the former Director General of the
State Water Works, was elected as the new AP chairman when
Ragip Gümüspala passed away in 1964. The AP received
53 percent of the votes in the 1965 elections and by obtaining
the majority in the Parliament, came to power. Another significant
characteristic of this election was that the Turkish Labor
Party (TIP), a socialist party, participated in the elections
for the first time and obtained 15 seats in the Parliament.
The 1965-1971 period when AP was in power, turned out to
be one of the most successful periods in Turkey economically,
socially and politically. It was a period of high development
rates and low inflation. The industrialization process accelerated.
Priority was given to investments directed to the rural
areas and to energy projects. A more independent foreign
policy was followed. Furthermore, 1965-1971 was also the
period of the greatest freedom in Turkey. This was the period
when the laws which limited free thought and which were
considered to be antidemocratic were applied the least and
the number of people arrested in connection with these laws
remained at a minimal level. In this period, the masses
took important steps in forming political organizations.
Again pertaining to this period, the press experienced its
greatest years of freedom and varying points of views were
openly written and discussed.
The student demonstrations which started in France in 1968
and spread all over the world, also affected Turkey towards
the end of the 1960s. These demonstrations, which started
as a reaction to the educational methods and examination
system in the universities, later obtained a political and
ideological context.
The 12 March Period and the Transformation
in the CHP
The atmosphere of freedom that had characterized the 1965-1971
period ended with a communiqué on 12 March 1971.
The joint memorandum of the Chief of General Staff and four
Force Commanders, called for the formation of a nonpartisan
government of national consensus in which all the political
parties would participate so that the necessary reforms
with a Kemalist perception could be implemented and so
that terrorism and anarchy could be prevented and the future
of the regime could be secured. Otherwise, the army warned
that it would undertake the administration directly. Under
these circumstances, Prime Minister Demirel handed in his
resignation to President Cevdet Sunay the same day.
The first government of the 12 March period was established
by Nihat Erim who had resigned from the CHP. Significant
number of his cabinet ministers were technicians who were
called the "brain team". The first move of Erim's
government, which was supposed to make reforms, was to declare
martial law and take tough measures. Some important articles
of the Constitution were changed. The first Erim government,
however, could not cope with the dissonance within the cabinet
and was replaced by the second Erim government. Because
of the various pressures he had been facing, Prime Minister
Erim resigned once again and he was replaced by Ferit Melen,
the Minister of National Defense in Erim's former cabinet.
The Ferit Melen government in turn was replaced by the Naim
Talu government which started a kind of transition process
to democracy. In the presidential elections of 1973, Fahri
Korutürk, the joint candidate of the AP and CHP became
President whereas Faruk Gürler, the candidate of the
12 March period, lost.
Meanwhile, interesting developments had been occurring
within the CHP since 1969. The Secretary General Bülent
Ecevit, and his colleagues resigned from membership in the
Central Executive Board, ostensibly because they disagreed
with Ýsmet Ýnönü, the Chairman, concerning the party policy
to be followed against the 12 March regime. This team carried
out a fundamental struggle within the party during the 12
March period. In the general congress of the party, which
was held in 1972, Ecevit and his colleagues attained the
absolute majority of the seats on the Central Executive
Board, whereupon, Ýnönü resigned from the Chairmanship,
from the Parliament and from the party membership. In the
special party congress which was held immediately, Ecevit
was elected as the party chairman. A new period started
for the CHP.
The Ecevit Administrations and the Nationalist
Front Periods
In the 1973 general elections, which legally put an end
to the 12 March period, no party could obtain an absolute
majority at the Parliament and so a new period of coalitions
commenced. Dissonances, votes of no confidence and deputy
transfers followed one after another.
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Bülent Ecevit, the Chairman of the Republican
People's Party and
his wife Rahsan Ecevit at an election campaign meeting. |
The CHP attained the majority of the votes in the 1973
elections. Ecevit, the chairman of the CHP, established
a coalition government with the National Salvation Party
(MSP) which reflected Islamic trends. Although this interesting
reconciliation created some positive outcomes, the shock
waves of the global oil crisis had adverse effects on Turkey.
Meanwhile, a coup carried out by the supporters of ENOSIS
(Union with Greece) against the Makarios administration
on Cyprus during June 1974 forced Turkey to intervene militarily
by exerting her rights as a guarantor state accorded to
her by the Cyprus Constitution of 1960. The Cyprus problem
had important economic and political repercussions. The
negative attitude of the West towards Turkey, an economic
embargo applied on Turkey by the US and the expenses of
the Cyprus Operation created significant problems in Turkey.
When the CHP and MSP disagreed on foreign policy following
the Cyprus Peace Operation, the coalition came to an end.
Sadi Irmak, a senator, was assigned by President Korutürk
to form a new government; but he could not obtain a vote
of confidence.
In the meantime, the Democratic Party which was established
by the party members who had left, or were expelled from
the AP, started to disintegrate in 1971. The AP which increased
its number of deputies, obtained the majority bringing together
the MSP, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Republican
Confidence
Party (CGP). Demirel who was assigned to form the new government,
managed to form a coalition which was called the "Nationalist
Front" (MC). It would remain in power until the general
elections in 1977.
The MC period continued after the general elections in
1977. Demirel established the Second MC government due to
the fact that no party could obtain an absolute majority.
"The Second MC", which remained in power until
January 1978, could cope neither with the economic, nor
with the foreign policy problems and its political profile
deteriorated because of escalating terrorism. Turkey had
a foreign currency problem, no imports could be made. The
government tried to escape from this problem by means of
short term credits with high interests.
The crisis in Turkey gained a new dimension when 11 AP
deputies resigned from the party in December 1977. The second
MC government led by Demirel was overthrown. Ecevit, the
CHP leader, formed the new government with the supports
of the DP and CGP and the eleven deputies who had resigned
from the AP. In this period the economic situation, however,
deteriorated even more. Shortages of some basic food items,
oil and LPG appeared and black markets emerged. Prime Minister
Ecevit resigned when the CHP suffered a heavy defeat in
the elections to renew one third of the Senate in 1979.
This time, Demirel formed an AP minority government with
the external support of the MSP and MHP on 25 November 1979.
In late December 1979, the Chief of General Staff and Force
Commanders sent a letter to President Korutürk warning about
the adverse effects of political instability. However, both
the AP and the opposition parties announced that they were
not a party to the warnings in the letter. The 24 January
Decrees of the Demirel government to improve the economy,
yielded positive results in the short-term, but the government
could not cope with anarchy and terrorism, and martial law
was declared in many provinces. No matter what, a new president
could not be elected after Korutürk’s term of office
had expired in the first months of 1980.
The 12 September Regime (1980-1983)
Military intervention occurred when the army seized the
power on 12 September 1980 through the chain of order and
command. The National Security Council (MGK), which was
composed of Kenan Evren, the Chief of the General Staff,
and the Force Commanders, dissolved the Parliament and the
Government. Martial law was declared all over the country.
The chairmen of the AP, CHP, MHP and MSP were taken into
custody. The MGK which vested itself with the legislative
and executive powers, appointed Kenan Evren, the Chairman
of the Council, as the Head of State. A new government was
formed by Admiral Bülend Ulusu. Turgut Özal, the Undersecretary
of the Prime Ministry of the final AP government and the
architect of the 24 January decisions, was appointed as
the Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for the Economy.
The economic stability policies which had been started
by the Demirel government were continued in this period.
The most significant development in foreign policy was the
approval by the MGK of "the Rogers Plan", named
after the NATO Supreme Commander, permitting Greece to return
to the military wing of NATO, that was contrary to the policy
that had been followed by Turkey for a long period of time.
It was decided in June 1981 to form a new "Constituent
Assembly" which would include the MGK members and the
Advisory Assembly (DM) to prepare a new constitution. On
the day that the members of the Advisory Assembly were announced,
all the political parties which had earlier been banned,
were closed by the MGK and their properties were confiscated.
The new constitution prepared by the Constitutional Commission
of the DM was submitted to a public referendum on 7 November
1982 and was approved by a majority vote of 91.2 percent.
After the approval of the new Constitution, Kenan Evren
acquired the title of "President". The Political
Parties Law went into effect on 24 April 1983 and political
activities were gradually permitted for the establishment
of new political parties.
At the central right wing, the Nationalist Democracy Party
(MDP), led by Ret. General Turgut Sunalp was established.
The MDP defined itself as the continuation of the spirit
and philosophy of 12 September. The second initiative, which
was not quite welcomed by the MGK, came from Turgut Özal
who had resigned from the Ulusu government in 1982. He established
the Motherland Party (ANAP) which promised to make economic
reforms, liberalize the economy and implement free market
policies. The third was the Populist Party (HP), which was
aimed to be a left of center party. Its chairman was Necdet
Calp, a former Undersecretary of the Prime Ministry in the
Bülend Ulusu government. Along with these parties, the True
Path Party (DYP), which was known to be a continuation of
the AP, and the Social Democracy Party (SODEP), led by Erdal
Ýnönü, the son of Ýsmet Ýnönü, were established. However,
the MGK investigated the founding members of the new parties
and vetoed a significant number of them. The lists of the
SODEP and DYP were vetoed the most. In fact, they were practically
vetoed out of the general election so that only ANAP, MDP
and HP could participate in the elections on 6 November
1983. Turgut Özal's ANAP won the election getting 45.1 percent
of the votes and 53 percent of the seats in the Parliament.
The function of the MGK ended and the four members of the
MGK became members of the Presidential Council when the
Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) convened on 24 November
1983. The first ANAP Government was formed on 13 December
1983 under the chairmanship of Turgut Özal.
The First and Second Özal Governments
ANAP, which attained the majority in the Parliament and
came to power in 1983 under the leadership of Turgut Özal,
also succeeded in remaining in power after the 1987 elections.
The most significant characteristics of the Özal period
were the structural changes in the economy realized by a
series of decisive and courageous reforms. These liberal
structural reforms were referred to by Özal, as the "Great
Transformation". The milestones during Özal's tenure
were fundamental changes in the Law for the Protection of
the Value of Turkish Currency and the Foreign Currency Exchange
system, imports and exports were liberalized and a transition
to a "Free Exchange Rate" in the foreign currency
system. The "import substitution" economic model
was replaced by an economic policy that gave "priority
to exports". State subsidies were decreased and production
was oriented at exports. Value Added Tax was put into effect
to increase state revenues. Revenue Sharing Bonds were issued
for sale, the Mass Housing and Privatization Administrations
were established and free trade zones were formed. Thus,
economic growth accelerated and the chronic foreign currency
deficit problem was solved.
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| The Council of Ministers of the 57th
Government is in session. |
The most important development in foreign policy was the
relative improvement observed in Turkey's relations with
the European countries. As a matter of fact, the Advisory
Assembly of the Council of Europe which had suspended its
relations with Turkey, accepted the participation of Turkish
parliamentarians in this Assembly in May 1984. On the other
hand, Turkey, which followed a policy of neutrality during
the Iran-Iraq War that lasted for years, positively developed
her trade with both countries. Improvements continued in
US relations, which had been revived after permission was
given to Greece to return to the military wing of NATO.
In this period, Turkey obtained great increases in exports
and tourism revenues due to the intensive trade relations
established especially with the Middle Eastern and European
countries.
Important developments also occurred in domestic politics
during the First Özal Government. HP and SODEP were
united under the name of the Social Democratic Populist
Party (SHP). The team of Bülent Ecevit, the former
Chairman of the CHP, who had been banned from politics,
established the Democratic Left Party (DSP). Political bans
were removed in a referendum held on 6 September 1986. Thereafter,
Bülent Ecevit became the Chairman of the DSP, Süleyman
Demirel became the Chairman of the DYP, Alparslan Türkes
became the Chairman of the Nationalist Working Party (MÇP)
and Necmettin Erbakan became the Chairman of the Welfare
Party (RP).
In the early general elections held in 1987, ANAP came
to power with 36 percent of the votes and 65 percent of
the seats in the Parliament. The SHP ranked second with
24.75 percent of the votes and the DYP obtained 19.15 percent
of the votes. The other parties could not win seats in the
Parliament because they could not pass the 10 percent vote
barrier. When Kenan Evren's term in office expired, Turgut
Özal was elected President on 9 November 1989. He appointed
Yildirim Akbulut as the Prime Minister. Akbulut was later
elected the new chairman of the ANAP in the party's Special
General Congress that convened in November 1989.
The Gulf Crisis
President Turgut Özal provided for Turkey's emergence in
the forefront in the international arena and an active role
with the Western allies through his personal diplomatic
initiatives during the Gulf Crisis that started with the
occupation of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990. Turkey was
one of the first countries which implemented the economic
embargo imposed on Iraq by the UN Security Council.
The Transformation in the ANAP and the Period
of Coalitions
A new government was formed after Mesut Yilmaz was elected
as the ANAP party chairman replacing Yildirim Akbulut in
June 1991. The government formed by Yilmaz decided to hold
early elections which were held on 21 October 1991. The
DYP, which focused on democratization and lowering the rate
of inflation in its election campaign, emerged as the leading
party with 27.03 percent of the votes. The DYP was followed
by ANAP, SHP, RP and DSP. However, no party could obtain
a majority of the seats at the TGNA. A DYP-SHP coalition
was formed by Süleyman Demirel on 20 November 1991. This
government succeeded to a certain extent in reviving economic
growth and increasing the real income of the wage earners.
Multi-dimensional relations were established with various
initiatives of both President Turgut Özal and the government,
with the Central Asian Republics which had gained independence
after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Thus,
new horizons were opened for Turkey to become a "regional
state". The Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC),
including the entire Black Sea region, envisages economic,
commercial and eventually political cooperation among the
countries of the Black Sea region. It was established in
June 1992 and has increased the importance of Turkey in
this region. Furthermore, Turkey has also played an active
role in the peace operations in Bosnia Herzegovina and Somalia.
Süleyman Demirel was elected President when President Turgut
Özal passed away on 17 April 1993. Tansu Çiller replaced
Demirel as the Chairman of the DYP in the special general
assembly held on 13 June 1993. The new DYP-SHP Coalition
Government formed by Tansu Çiller, Turkey's first female
Prime Minister, stayed in power from 25 June 1993 until
the elections on 25 December 1995.
The Welfare Party became the leading party with 21 percent
of the votes in the December 1995 elections. An ANAP-DYP
Coalition Government was formed on 5 March 1996, with Mesut
Yilmaz as the Prime Minister and this coalition was called
the "Anayol" (Main Path). This government lasted
for four months. When the DYP announced that it would support
a motion filed by the RP against the government, Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz submitted his resignation to President Süleyman
Demirel on 6 June 1996. Demirel appointed Necmettin Erbakan,
the RP Chairman, to form the new government. Erbakan formed
the RP-DYP coalition which was called the "Refahyol"
(Welfare-Path). Tansu Çiller, the DYP Chairperson,
participated in this government as the Minister of Foreign
Affairs and as Deputy Prime Minister. The intensified debates
on fundamentalism in this period, caused social and political
tension. A new process commenced when the National Security
Council issued a warning in its meeting on 28 February 1997
that the danger of fundamentalism was increasing. During
this tense period, Prime Minister Erbakan resigned on 18
June 1997 in order to transfer the prime ministry to Tansu
Çiller, his coalition partner. However, President
Süleyman Demirel charged Mesut Yilmaz, the ANAP Chairman,
rather than Tansu Çiller, with forming the new government
on 19 June 1997. President Demirel approved the ANAP-DSP-DTP
Coalition Government formed by Yilmaz, which is called the
"Anasol-D" by the public. During the period of
Anasol-D which obtained a vote of confidence on 12 July
1997, an early election decision was taken with the overwhelming
majority at the TGNA and a decision was taken for the general
and local elections to be held together on 18 April 1999.
The government which ruled for 17 months was removed from
power by an interpellation on 25 November 1998. As the initiatives
of Bülent Ecevit charged with forming the government
were of no avail, the duty was taken over by Yalim Erez,
independent deputy from the Province of Mugla and minister
of Industry. While Erez's initiatives were still going on,
the DYP Chairperson Tansu Çiller's announcement that
she will support a minority government under the chairmanship
of Bülent Ecevit, made possible a formula to win a
vote of confidence. Likewise, Bülent Ecevit's minority
government wining a vote of confidence on 17 January 1999,
worked until the election on April the 18th. As the result
of election while DSP, MHP, FP, DYP and ANAP had a right
to be represented in the Parliament, CHP could not exceed
the general barrage of 10 percent and could not enter the
Parliament. While DSP increased its votes at a high rate,
MHP was the second party to get the greatest number of votes.
The center-right parties such as ANAP and DYP suffered great
loses of votes. Also FP (Virtue Party), founded with the
inclusion of majority of the independent deputies of RP
after it was abolished, could not maintain its percentage
of votes.
The DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition government was formed on 28
May 1999, under the chairmanship of Bülent Ecevit,
the chairman of the leading party from the election. The
57th Government, formed as government of reconciliation
and advance, handling, as soon as it took office, such important
issues as the civilianization of the State Security Courts,
the Act of Banking, the Constitutional amendment envisaging
"International Arbitration" and the Social Security
Reform, has adopted new laws. The government which has achieved
a noteworthy success in both application of the economic
stability program and curbing inflation within the context
of the harmonization process with EU that was initiated
with the Helsinki Summit of 1999, has also concluded the
presidential elections with a remarkable conciliatory understanding.
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the President of the Constitutional
Court, who was unanimously nominated by leaders of the five
political parties represented in the parliament, took over
the presidency from Süleyman Demirel whose term in
office expired on 16 May 2000. He was elected the 10th president
of the Republic of Turkey with 330 votes in the third round
ballot.
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