Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat
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| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 7 June 2015 – 7 July 2018 |
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| Constituency | Mersin (June 2015, Nov 2015) |
| In office 18 April 1999 – 12 June 2011 |
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| Constituency | Adıyaman (1999) Mersin (2002) Adana (2007) |
| Deputy leader of the Justice and Development Party | |
| In office 10 August 2001 – 7 November 2008 |
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| Leader | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abdulkadir Aksu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 August 1943 Kahta, Adıyaman, Turkey |
| Died | 11 July 2019 (aged 75) |
| Political party | Virtue Party (FP) 1999-2001 Justice and Development Party (AKP) 2001-2014 Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) 2015-present |
| Alma mater | Ankara University, Law School |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat (born August 8, 1943 – died July 11, 2019) was an important Turkish politician. He was of Kurdish background. He helped start the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.
Fırat served as a Member of Parliament in the Grand National Assembly. He was an MP from 1999 to 2011. Later, he served again from 2015 to 2018. During his second time as an MP, he was part of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
Contents
Early Life and Family History
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat was born in Kahta, a district in Adıyaman, Turkey. This was on August 8, 1943. His family had a long history in politics.
Family's Political Roots
His grandfather, Hacı Bedir Fırat, was also a Member of Parliament. He served in the first three Parliaments of the Turkish Republic. His uncle, Hüseyin Fehmi Fırat, was a politician from the Democratic Party. He also served as an MP for three terms. Fırat's cousin, Mehmet Sırrı Turanlı, was an MP for Adıyaman. He later became a senator.
Meaning of His Name
In the Kurdish language, the name Dengir means "great voice." The name Mîr means "local leader" or "prince." Mir Mehmet was the name of one of Fırat's ancestors. His grandfather, who was Kurdish, even received a special medal from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Before Politics
After finishing his education, Fırat worked in several different fields. He was a lawyer who worked for himself. He also worked as a farmer and an export tradesman. This means he helped sell goods to other countries. He was also a member of the Executive Board of the Mediterranean Exporters Association.
Political Journey
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat had a long and varied political career. He was part of different political parties over the years.
Joining the Virtue Party (1999-2001)
Fırat first became a Member of Parliament for Adıyaman in 1999. He was elected with the Virtue Party (FP). This party had an Islamist background. During this time, the party faced some internal disagreements. There was a split between more traditional members and those who were more moderate.
In 2001, the Constitutional Court closed down the Virtue Party. They said it went against the idea of state secularism, which means keeping government and religion separate. After the party closed, its members formed new groups. The more traditional members created the Felicity Party (SP). The moderate members, including Fırat, formed the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Fırat was one of the founding members of the AKP.
With the Justice and Development Party (2001-2014)
As a founder of the AKP, Fırat became a Deputy leader under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was elected as an MP for Mersin in 2002. He was re-elected in 2007 for Adana. He did not run for election in 2011.
Even though the AKP formed the government in 2002 and 2007, Fırat was not made a Minister. In 2008, Fırat spoke about some past changes in Turkey. He said these changes caused a "trauma" in society. This caused some discussion.
Fırat resigned from his role as deputy leader in November 2008. This happened after he faced questions about his actions during a TV debate. He completely left the AKP on July 27, 2014. He announced his decision on Facebook.
Moving to the Peoples' Democratic Party (2015-2019)
In February 2015, Fırat joined the HDP, the Peoples' Democratic Party. He planned to run for Parliament from Mersin as a HDP candidate. He believed the HDP could become a major opposition party in the future.
His move was notable because he was a high-profile politician leaving the AKP for the HDP. The HDP was gaining support, especially in the Kurdish areas of Turkey. Fırat was elected to Parliament in the June 2015 general election. His party successfully passed the 10% election threshold, which allowed them to win seats.
The HDP then put Fırat forward as their candidate for Parliamentary Speaker. This was during the June–July 2015 speaker elections. However, he was not elected.
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat passed away on July 11, 2019, at the age of 75. He died from lung cancer.
See also
- Selahattin Demirtaş
- Figen Yüksekdağ
