İrfan Gürpınar facts for kids

İrfan Gürpınar was a Turkish politician who lived from 1943 to 2020. He was part of a political group called the center-left. He also served twice as Turkey's Minister of Tourism.

Early Life and Education

İrfan Gürpınar was born in Kırklareli, Turkey, in 1943. After finishing high school, he studied law at Istanbul University. He then became a lawyer.

Political Journey

İrfan Gürpınar began his political career by running for parliament. He became a member of parliament for Kırklareli in 1987. He was part of the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP).

He was re-elected to parliament in 1991. At this time, his party (SHP) joined with another party, the True Path Party, to form a "coalition government." This means two or more parties work together to lead the country.

Becoming Tourism Minister

In 1995, the SHP party joined with the Republican People's Party (CHP). A few weeks later, İrfan Gürpınar became the Minister of Tourism. He worked in this role for about seven months. During this time, he visited Damascus to help Turkey and Syria work together on tourism.

Later in 1995, his party (CHP) left the government. This meant all CHP ministers, including Gürpınar, lost their jobs. The government then tried to work without them for a short time.

However, the parties soon agreed to work together again. So, İrfan Gürpınar became the Minister of Tourism for a second time. This second term lasted from October 1995 to March 1996.

After His Time as Minister

Gürpınar was re-elected to parliament in December 1995. However, his party did not get enough votes nationwide to have many seats. This meant they were not part of the new government.

During this time, Gürpınar worked on new ideas. For example, he suggested creating Kırklareli University. This university was later founded in 2007. He also proposed a law for hotel owners.

In the 1999 election, his party did not get enough votes to have any members in parliament. After leaving parliament, İrfan Gürpınar continued to be an important member of the CHP party leadership.

Personal Life and Passing

İrfan Gürpınar was married and had one child. He passed away in Ankara on December 7, 2020, at the age of 77. He died from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

His funeral was held at the Parliament building. Many politicians and his family attended. After prayers, he was buried at Gölbaşı Cemetery.

Sources

• İşbaran, Vahit (7 December 2020). "Eski bakan İrfan Gürpınar, koronavirüs nedeniyle yaşamını yitirdi" (in tr). Hürriyet. https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/son-dakika-eski-bakan-irfan-gurpinar-koronavirüs-nedeniyle-yasamini-yitirdi-41682130.
• Köse, Türey (28 January 2014). ""İhraç yolsuzluktan değil"" (in tr). Cumhuriyet. https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/amp/haber/ihrac-yolsuzluktan-degil-34469.
• Uslu, Sinan (8 December 2020). "Eski Turizm Bakanı Gürpınar için TBMM'de cenaze töreni düzenlendi" (in tr). Anadolu Ajansı. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/politika/eski-turizm-bakani-gurpinar-icin-tbmmde-cenaze-toreni-duzenlendi/2069253.