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Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz | |
|---|---|
 Yılmaz in 1996 | |
| 21stPrime 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 |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey | |
| In office 13 July 2000 – 18 November 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Bülent Ecevit |
| Served with | Devlet Bahçeli Hüsamettin Özkan Şükrü Sina Gürel |
| Preceded by | Cumhur Ersümer |
| Succeeded by | Mehmet Ali Şahin |
| Leader of the Motherland Party | |
| In office 15 June 1991 – 4 November 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Yıldırım Akbulut |
| Succeeded by | Ali Talip Özdemir |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 22 December 1987 – 20 February 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | Turgut Özal Yıldırım Akbulut |
| Preceded by | Vahit Melih Halefoğlu |
| Succeeded by | Ali Bozer |
| Minister of Culture and Tourism | |
| In office 17 October 1986 – 21 December 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Turgut Özal |
| Preceded by | Mükerrem Taşçıoğlu |
| Succeeded by | Tınaz Titiz |
| Minister of State | |
| In office 28 May 1999 – 18 November 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Bülent Ecevit |
| In office 13 December 1983 – 17 October 1986 | |
| Prime Minister | Turgut Özal |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Celal Güzel |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 22 July 2007 – 12 June 2011 | |
| Constituency | Rize (2007) |
| In office 24 November 1983 – 3 November 2002 | |
| Constituency | Rize (1983,1987,1991,1995,1999) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz (1947-11-06)6 November 1947 |
| Died | 30 October 2020(2020-10-30) (aged 72) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Resting place | Kanlıca Cemetery |
| Political party | Motherland Party |
| Spouse | Berna Yılmaz |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | |
| Signature |  |
Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz (Turkish pronunciation:[meˈsutjɯɫˈmaz]) (6 November 1947 – 30 October 2020[1]) was a Turkish politician. He was the leader of theMotherland Party (Turkish:Anavatan Partisi, ANAP) from 1991 to 2002, and served three times asPrime Minister of Turkey. His first two prime-ministerial terms lasted just months (in 1991 and 1996), while the third ran from June 1997 to January 1999. The first was brought to an end by defeat in the1991 elections, the latter two by the breakdown of Yılmaz' coalition governments.
OfHamsheni origin,[2][3] Mesut Yılmaz was a rising star in the Motherland Party ofTurgut Özal, representing theBlack Sea province ofRize in theparliament and serving in Özal's cabinet. He was State Minister for Information (December 1983), then Minister of Culture and Tourism (1986), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (December 1987 to February 1990). Upon Özal'selection to the presidency in 1989, Yılmaz became the leader of an intraparty opposition to the new prime minister,Yıldırım Akbulut.
In June 1991, Yılmaz managed to dischargeYıldırım Akbulut from the party leadership and from all executive functions during thebiennial party congress. Because ANAP had the majority in theparliament he subsequently becamePrime Minister of Turkey in the48th government of Turkey. However, in October ANAP came in second in the1991 general election toSüleyman Demirel'sTrue Path Party (DYP), and the DYP formed a coalition with theSocial Democratic Populist Party (49th government of Turkey).
The following years saw a decline in the popularity of the Motherland Party and an acrimonious relationship withTansu Çiller, leader of the center-rightTrue Path Party (DYP). Yılmaz also made the Motherland Party more business-friendly and Europe-oriented, causing the more conservative, religious wing to switch to theWelfare Party (RP) ofNecmettin Erbakan. In the December1995 general election ANAP again came second, this time to the Welfare Party. After lengthy coalition negotiations Yılmaz formed a coalition with the DYP in March 1996 (53rd government of Turkey), but this lasted less than four months, falling to a censure motion led by the Welfare Party. President Demirel invited Erbakan to form a government, which he did, in coalition with the DYP.
Erbakan's term was marked by theSusurluk scandal, during the investigation of which Yılmaz admitted the existence of theJİTEM counter-terrorist Gendarmerie unit.[4] The scandal led to the resignation of Erbakan'sInterior Minister,Mehmet Ağar (a leader of the True Path Party, DYP), following revelations thatAbdullah Çatlı, leader of the far-rightGrey Wolves organisation, worked for the state.[4] Yılmaz' concerns over his own safety, owing to his support of the Susurluk investigation, led to him briefly carrying a gun in self-defense.[5]
Yılmaz formed a government for the third time in June 1997,[6] after theWelfare Party had resigned from government following the February1997 military memorandum. DYP and others expected to form a government underTansu Çiller, but PresidentSüleyman Demirel asked Yılmaz to form the new government. Yılmaz created an ANAP-Democratic Left Party-Democrat Turkey Party coalition which lasted until January 1999. Yılmaz' final term was marked by fallout from the investigations into theSusurluk scandal, and further revelations of connections between politicians, police and mafia. When the attempt to privatize theTürk Ticaret Bankası toKorkmaz Yiğit blew up in October 1998 overallegations of the involvement of mafia bossAlaattin Çakıcı, Yılmaz' coalition did not last much longer.[7]
In October 1998, Yılmaz set off a furor in theArab world by threatening to "poke out the eyes" ofSyria overHafez al-Assad's alleged support of the separatistKurdistan Workers' Party.[8]
Yılmaz continued as a politician, however, serving as a deputy prime minister in a coalition led byBülent Ecevit from 1999 to 2002. After his failure to win entry into the Grand National Assembly in2002 elections, Yılmaz retired from politics to pursue a teaching career. A few days before the match betweenFenerbahçe andMalatyaspor, the then-Prime Minister, Yılmaz, was a guest on a TV channel withCan Ataklı. During their conversation, Yılmaz made a statement: "By Allah's permission, we will makeGalatasaray the champion this year too." Prior to the Malatyaspor match at Fenerbahçe's closed stands, a huge banner was unfurled, reading "We'll see you at the ballot box, Mesut Bey."[9]
He was charged by the state public prosecutor with corruption during his tenure as prime minister relating to the privatization ofTurkish Trade Bank. In 2006, the Supreme Court suspended the case for five years, so that the charges would be dropped if no similar charges arose in that period. Yılmaz announced that he would return to politics.[10]
In the2007 general election, he was elected as independent member of parliament from Rize. He died from complications oflung cancer in 30 October 2020 and was buried atKanlıca Cemetery two days later.[11]
He was married to Berna Yılmaz. The couple became parents to two sons, Hasan Yılmaz and Yavuz Yılmaz, the latter of which was found shot dead in his apartment inBeykoz, Istanbul in December 2017.[6] His son's death was reported as a probable suicide by Turkish police. Mesut Yılmaz's own licensedSmith & Wesson gun was found beside his son's body.[12]
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.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey 22 December 1987–20 February 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Turkey 23 June 1991–20 November 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Turkey 6 March 1996–28 June 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Turkey 30 June 1997–11 January 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey 13 July 2000–19 November 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP) 15 June 1991–4 November 2002 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
