Ahmet Necdet Sezer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
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Sezer in 2002
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| 10th President of Turkey | |
| In office 16 May 2000 – 28 August 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Süleyman Demirel |
| Succeeded by | Abdullah Gül |
| President of the Constitutional Court | |
| In office 6 January 1998 – 4 May 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Yekta Güngör Özden |
| Succeeded by | Mustafa Bumin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 September 1941 Afyonkarahisar, Turkey |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Semra Kürümoğlu |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Ankara University, Law School |
| Profession | Judge |
| Signature |  |
Ahmet Necdet Sezer (born 13 September 1941) is a Turkish statesman and judge. He served as the tenth president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Before becoming president, he was the president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 1998 to 2000.
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey chose Sezer as president in 2000. This happened after Süleyman Demirel's seven-year term ended. Abdullah Gül became president after Sezer in 2007.
After a long career in law, Sezer became a candidate for president. Many political parties in the Turkish Parliament supported him. After the 2000 presidential election, he strongly supported keeping Turkey a secular state. This means keeping government and religion separate. He believed that secularism in Turkey was facing challenges.
In 2001, a disagreement happened between Sezer and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. This event led to a financial problem in the country. People thought this was due to a weak government and a large debt to the International Monetary Fund.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the 2002 election by a lot. President Sezer often disagreed with this party. He stopped several laws they proposed. He also sent some laws to the Constitutional Court for review. These laws included changes to banking rules. They also included lifting a political ban on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
During official events at the presidential palace, Sezer did not allow women wearing headscarves to attend. He said this was because of laws about the separation of religion and state. Because of this, the wives of Abdullah Gül and Erdoğan, Hayrünnisa Gül and Emine Erdoğan, could not attend. Erdoğan later said he had "suffered a lot" because of Sezer's actions.
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Early Life and Education
Ahmet Necdet Sezer was born in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. His parents, Ahmet Hamdi Sezer and Hatice Sezer, were Turkish people from Serres, Greece. They moved to Turkey during a population exchange after the Turkish War of Independence.
Sezer finished Afyonkarahisar High School in 1960. He then studied law at the Ankara University Faculty of Law. He graduated in 1962 and started his career as a judge in Ankara. After serving in the military, he worked as a judge in different towns. Later, he became a supervisory judge in the High Court of Appeals. In 1978, he earned a master's degree in civil law from Ankara University.
Becoming a High Court Judge
On 8 March 1983, Sezer was chosen to be a member of the High Court of Appeals. He was then nominated to become a member of the Constitutional Court. On 26 September 1988, President Kenan Evren appointed him to the Constitutional Court. He was reappointed for another five years in 1993.
On 6 January 1998, Ahmet Necdet Sezer was elected as the chief justice of the Constitutional Court. He held this important position until 2000. He resigned when he was elected as the president of Turkey.
Time as President (2000–2007)
Ahmet Necdet Sezer was elected president and took office on 16 May 2000. He was the first Turkish head of state to come from a background as a judge. His term was supposed to end on 16 May 2007. However, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey could not elect a new president right away. So, he stayed in office until 28 August 2007, as the Constitution of Turkey allows.
On 21 February 2001, a disagreement happened during a National Security Council meeting. Sezer threw a book at Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. Some people believe this argument caused a big economic crisis, known as 'Black Wednesday'. Others thought the crisis was due to fast reforms needed for Turkey to join the European Union. Also, Turkey had strong ties with the International Monetary Fund.
Sezer strongly believed in secularism in Turkey. This means keeping government and religious matters separate. This was often a point of disagreement between him and the ruling AKP party. He often said that Turkey's secular system was in danger. Sezer believed that Islam does not require women to wear headscarves. Because of this, he did not allow wives of lawmakers who wore headscarves to official events at the Presidential Palace.
During his time as president, he pardoned 260 people who had been found guilty of crimes. Most of these were leftist activists. A pardon means a person is forgiven for a crime. Some groups criticized Sezer for these pardons. However, Sezer also made laws stricter to punish people involved in terrorism.
After the Presidency
During the 2014 presidential election, Sezer chose not to vote. He said he did not vote because there was no candidate who strongly supported secularism. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won this election.
In the 2023 presidential election, Sezer supported Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as a candidate.
Awards and Honors
| Ribbon | Award and order | Country | Date | City | Note | Source |
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Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana |  Estonia |
18 April 2002 | Tallinn | The Terra Mariana Engagement is one of the highest marks given by the Estonian President. |
See also
In Spanish: Ahmet Necdet Sezer para niños
