Deniz Baykal
Encyclopedia
Deniz Baykal is a Turkish
politician. He was a long-time leader of the Republican People's Party
(CHP).
. He was educated at the University of Ankara Faculty of Law
. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley
and Columbia University
as a Rockefeller scholar. Following this, he has completed his Ph.D.
by 1963 at the University of Ankara Faculty of Political Science
. He became an Associate Professor at the same faculty, where he lectured until 1973.
He became a professional politician with the support and encouragement of Bülent Ecevit
. He was elected a MP from the Republican People's Party
in 1973. He served as the Minister of Finance, Energy and Foreign Affairs in various times throughout his career, as well as one term as a Deputy Prime Minister.
Following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, along with the other prominent figures of all political parties, he also was arrested, and had been banned from all political activities for five years by the military regime. In 1987 he came back to political scene again, and joined the Social Democratic People's Party
. He was elected as a MP from Antalya in 1987 General Elections
.
He was elected to the second chair of the Social Democratic People's Party
as the General Secretary
in 1988.
In 1992, with the abandonment of laws prohibiting the re-foundation of former political parties, he led a significant movement and re-established the historical Republican People's Party
(CHP), which had been closed down by 1980 military regime. He was elected as the leader of the party, a post he held until May 2010. Today, his social democratic and secular Republican People's Party is still the second biggest of the country and is the major opposition party in the parliament.
Baykal always hold his ground as a staunch supporter of a strong response to terrorism.
He resigned from the leadership of CHP on May 10, 2010. Criticism of his private life after an alleged video-tape showing him in the same bedroom with his former secretary, and a member of parliament Nesrin Baytok, was leaked to the media played a major role in his resignation.
The 'Baykal Era' of the Republican People's Party not only finalized with this resignation, but his successor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
who came in power in December 2010, swiftly removed all prominent figures of the party who were close to Baykal, and a new administration, mostly consisting of brand-new names some were not even former members of the party, were placed in leading positions. This 'New' and controversial post-Baykal period CHP had been tested in the 2011 General Elections
, which turned out to be a failure for Kılıçdaroğlu. However, Deniz Baykal was re-elected as a MP from his hometown, Antalya, which strengthened his role as the strongest figure in CHP.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
politician. He was a long-time leader of the Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
(CHP).
Biography
Baykal was born to Hüseyin Hilmi and Feride in AntalyaAntalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
. He was educated at the University of Ankara Faculty of Law
Ankara University, Law School
The Ankara University, Law School is a faculty for law of the Ankara University in Turkey.- History :Ankara University, Law School, was founded as a part of legal revolution in Turkey by endeavours of Mahmut Esat Bozkurt. The school was opened by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish...
. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
as a Rockefeller scholar. Following this, he has completed his Ph.D.
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
by 1963 at the University of Ankara Faculty of Political Science
Mekteb-i Mülkiye
Mekteb-i Mülkiye, established on February 12, 1859 in Istanbul, was a vocational high school in the Ottoman Empire. Following the foundation of the Republic, the school moved in 1936 to Cebeci quarter in Ankara. On December 4, 1938, the school was renamed "School of Political Sciences"...
. He became an Associate Professor at the same faculty, where he lectured until 1973.
He became a professional politician with the support and encouragement of Bülent Ecevit
Bülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist, who was the leader of Republican People's Party , later of the Democratic Left Party and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey.- Personal life :...
. He was elected a MP from the Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
in 1973. He served as the Minister of Finance, Energy and Foreign Affairs in various times throughout his career, as well as one term as a Deputy Prime Minister.
Following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, along with the other prominent figures of all political parties, he also was arrested, and had been banned from all political activities for five years by the military regime. In 1987 he came back to political scene again, and joined the Social Democratic People's Party
Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey)
The Social Democratic Populist Party was the name of a former Turkish left social-democratic party, which resulted from the fusion, in 1985, of the Social Democracy Party of Erdal İnönü and the People's Party of Aydın Güven Gürkan, both founded in 1983 with the return to democracy after the...
. He was elected as a MP from Antalya in 1987 General Elections
Turkish general election, 1987
General elections were held in Turkey on 29 October 1987. This election is important for two events; the Military junta's restrictions on former politicians were lifted so they joined to the political scene again, whilst the Motherland Party retained its majority in the parliament by losing votes...
.
He was elected to the second chair of the Social Democratic People's Party
Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey)
The Social Democratic Populist Party was the name of a former Turkish left social-democratic party, which resulted from the fusion, in 1985, of the Social Democracy Party of Erdal İnönü and the People's Party of Aydın Güven Gürkan, both founded in 1983 with the return to democracy after the...
as the General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
in 1988.
In 1992, with the abandonment of laws prohibiting the re-foundation of former political parties, he led a significant movement and re-established the historical Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
(CHP), which had been closed down by 1980 military regime. He was elected as the leader of the party, a post he held until May 2010. Today, his social democratic and secular Republican People's Party is still the second biggest of the country and is the major opposition party in the parliament.
Baykal always hold his ground as a staunch supporter of a strong response to terrorism.
He resigned from the leadership of CHP on May 10, 2010. Criticism of his private life after an alleged video-tape showing him in the same bedroom with his former secretary, and a member of parliament Nesrin Baytok, was leaked to the media played a major role in his resignation.
The 'Baykal Era' of the Republican People's Party not only finalized with this resignation, but his successor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is a Turkish social democrat politician. He is currently leader of the Republican People's Party and Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey. He has been the Member of Parliament for İstanbul since 2002....
who came in power in December 2010, swiftly removed all prominent figures of the party who were close to Baykal, and a new administration, mostly consisting of brand-new names some were not even former members of the party, were placed in leading positions. This 'New' and controversial post-Baykal period CHP had been tested in the 2011 General Elections
Turkish general election, 2011
Turkey's 17th general election was held on 12 June 2011 to elect 550 new members of Grand National Assembly. They were Turkey's first non-early elections in 34 years.-Background:...
, which turned out to be a failure for Kılıçdaroğlu. However, Deniz Baykal was re-elected as a MP from his hometown, Antalya, which strengthened his role as the strongest figure in CHP.