Devlet Bahçeli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Devlet Bahçeli
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Bahçeli in 2015
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| Leader of the Nationalist Movement Party | |
| Assumed office 6 July 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Alparslan Türkeş |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey | |
| In office 28 May 1999 – 18 November 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Bülent Ecevit |
| Served with | Hüsamettin Özkan Şükrü Sina Gürel Cumhur Ersümer Mesut Yılmaz |
| Preceded by | Hikmet Uluğbay |
| Succeeded by | Abdüllatif Şener |
| Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Interim |
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| In office 2 June 2023 – 7 June 2023 |
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| President | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Mustafa Şentop |
| Succeeded by | Numan Kurtulmuş |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 22 July 2007 |
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| Constituency | Osmaniye (2007, 2011, June 2015, Nov 2015, 2018, 2023) |
| In office 19 April 1999 – 18 November 2002 |
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| Constituency | Osmaniye (1999) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1948 Bahçe, Osmaniye, Turkey |
| Political party | Nationalist Movement Party |
| Alma mater | Gazi University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Economist, academic |
| Signature |  |
Devlet Bahçeli (born 1 January 1948) is a Turkish politician and economist. He is the current leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). He also served as a deputy prime minister in the past.
Bahçeli studied economics at Gazi University. He was one of the founders of a youth organization called the Grey Wolves. In 1997, he became the leader of the MHP after the death of its previous leader, Alparslan Türkeş. He first became a member of parliament in 1999, representing Osmaniye. From 1999 to 2002, he was a deputy prime minister in a coalition government.
After his party did not get enough votes in the 2002 election, Bahçeli resigned as chairman. But he was re-elected in 2003. Since 2007, he and his party have been back in the Grand National Assembly. Bahçeli was once a strong critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, after the 2015 election, they became closer. This led to some members leaving his party to form the Good Party in 2017.
Bahçeli's party formed an alliance with Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). This alliance is called the People's Alliance. It was formed for the 2018 general election and continued in the 2019 local elections. The MHP now supports President Erdoğan's government in parliament. Bahçeli is seen as a very important figure in Turkish politics, sometimes called a "kingmaker" because he can influence who forms the government.
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Early Life and Education
Devlet Bahçeli was born on January 1, 1948. He grew up in a rural area called Bahçe in Osmaniye. His family was well-known in the area. His father, Salih Bahçeli, was a farmer and merchant. Devlet was one of four children.
School and University
Bahçeli went to primary school in his hometown. He then attended secondary school in Adana and high school in İstanbul. In 1967, he started studying at Gazi University. He graduated in 1971 with a degree in Foreign Trade. Some of his classmates included future politicians like Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
After graduating, Bahçeli worked as an assistant in the economics department at Gazi University. He helped start groups for students and academics. He earned his doctorate in economics and taught at the university until 1987. He was also very interested in Turkish history, economics, and foreign policy.
Start of Political Career
When he was young, Bahçeli attended talks by Alparslan Türkeş. Türkeş was the leader of the party that later became the MHP. While at university in 1967, Bahçeli helped start and manage the Grey Wolves. This was a youth organization. He also served as a general secretary for a national student union from 1970 to 1971.
After a military takeover in 1980, Bahçeli helped defend members of the MHP who were put in prison. In 1987, Türkeş asked Bahçeli to join party politics. Bahçeli then left his teaching job. He was elected as a general secretary of the Nationalist Task Party (MÇP), which was the MHP's earlier name. He held several important roles in the MÇP and MHP over the years.
Leader of the MHP
After Alparslan Türkeş passed away in May 1997, a special meeting was held to choose a new leader. Bahçeli ran against Türkeş's son, Tuğrul Türkeş. After some events, Bahçeli won the election in July and became the new chairman of the MHP.
Serving as Deputy Prime Minister
With Bahçeli as leader, the MHP gained many more votes in the 1999 election. Their vote share went from 8.18% to 17.98%. This was the highest percentage of votes the party had ever received. It made them the second-largest party in parliament. Devlet Bahçeli then became a deputy prime minister. He served in a government made up of three parties (DSP, Motherland, and MHP) led by Bülent Ecevit.
In July 2002, Bahçeli announced that his party would no longer support the government. He asked for new elections to be held in November. He focused his campaign on fixing Turkey's economy. However, in the 2002 election, the MHP did not get enough votes (less than 10%) to enter parliament. Bahçeli resigned as chairman, saying he was responsible for the failure. But he was re-elected as chairman in the party's meeting in 2003.
In Opposition and Return to Parliament
Bahçeli was re-elected as MHP chairman in 2006. In the 2007 general election, his party got 14.27% of the votes. This allowed them to return to parliament. In the 2011 general election, Bahçeli promised to help the economy grow and change election laws. The MHP's votes went down slightly to 13%. Bahçeli was re-elected as chairman in 2012 and 2015.
For the June 2015 election, the MHP's slogan was "Walk with us, Turkey!" The party increased its votes to 16.29%. No single party won enough votes to form a government. So, different parties tried to form a coalition. Bahçeli did not want to lead a minority government. He suggested that other parties form a large coalition. When no government could be formed, another election was called for November 2015. In this election, the MHP's votes dropped to less than 12%.
Party Challenges and New Alliance
After the 2015 election, some important members of the MHP asked Bahçeli to resign. When he refused, many delegates wanted to hold a special meeting to choose a new leader. People like Meral Akşener wanted to run for chairman. But Bahçeli said no to a special meeting. A lawsuit was filed, and the court decided that the MHP had to hold a special meeting.
A special meeting was held in June 2016. At this meeting, some rules in the party's charter were changed. One change allowed a new chairman to be elected at a special meeting. However, the court later stopped these changes from taking effect. After this, several members, including Meral Akşener, were removed from the MHP. In October 2017, Good Party was started by these former MHP members, led by Akşener.
The People's Alliance
Bahçeli supported President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2017 vote about changing the constitution.
In 2018, the AKP and MHP formed an election team called the People's Alliance. This was for the general election that year. A new law was passed to allow political parties to form such alliances. Bahçeli said he would not run for president. He announced that the MHP would support Erdoğan's campaign. Erdoğan was re-elected president. The MHP received 11% of the votes and won 49 seats in parliament. Bahçeli congratulated Erdoğan and said his party had achieved a great success. Since then, the MHP has supported Erdoğan's government.
In the 2019 local elections, the MHP again joined the People's Alliance. The party did not nominate candidates for mayor in big cities like İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Instead, they supported the AKP's candidates. In return, the AKP did not nominate candidates in some cities where the MHP was strong. The MHP won the mayorships in several provinces. Bahçeli has been re-elected as MHP chairman in 2018 and 2021.
From June 2 to June 7, 2023, Bahçeli served as the temporary speaker of the Grand National Assembly. He was the oldest member, which is why he took on this role.
Memorable Speeches
Some of Bahçeli's speeches have become well-known. For example, during the 2009 local elections campaign, he gave a speech about the year 2009. It was also the 40th anniversary of the MHP. He said:
When writing 2009, there are two zeros. The zero next to 9 is on the left, you erase it. Is there a 9 left? There is a zero next to 2. You erase it, too. Is there a 2 left? Add them together. What will it make? It makes 11. You erase both of two zeroes in 2009, what is there left? 29 is left. Add 11 and 29! It makes 40, and the 40th anniversary of the Nationalist Movement Party!
Political Views
Bahçeli has spoken out on various issues. In 2017, he accused Russia of accidentally shooting Turkish soldiers. He said: "Russia shoots our soldiers, then disgusts them. This is a mistaken, shameful, international law said to count." In March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he asked Russia to "stop the invasion immediately." He added that trying to take Donbas from Ukraine was "separatism."
He is critical of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). He has asked for the party to be banned. When the court did not ban the party, he called for the court itself to be closed. In October 2024, Bahçeli suggested that Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Öcalan could be released from prison if he gave up violence and disbanded his group.
Personal Life
Devlet Bahçeli is not married. He used to support the football team Beşiktaş. However, he stopped being a member of the club in 2023. This happened after fans protested the government's response to the earthquake in February 2023 during a football match.
Works
Devlet Bahçeli has written several books and publications. These include:
- 2011 Seçim Beyannamesi (2011 Election Manifesto)
- Türkiye Gündemi ve Genelgeler (Turkey's Agenda and Circulars)
- Gizli Gündemler "Demokrasi, Özgürlük, Anayasa" (Secret Agendas "Democracy, Freedom, Constitution")
- Millet ve Devlet Bekası İçin Güç Birliği (Unity for the Survival of the Nation and State)
- Referanduma Doğru İstanbul'da Bayramlaşma (Eid Greetings in Istanbul Towards the Referendum)
- Ülkü ve Şuur (Ideal and Consciousness)
- Bölücü Terörün Siyasallaşma Süreci (Yıkım Projesi) (The Politicization Process of Separatist Terrorism (Destruction Project))
- Bin Yıllık Kardeşliği "Yaşa ve Yaşat" Mitingi (Rally for "Live and Let Live" the Thousand-Year Brotherhood)
- "Var Ol Türkiye" MHP 9. Olağan Büyük Kurultayı ("Exist, Turkey" MHP 9th Ordinary Grand Congress)
- Çözülen Ülke Türkiye ve Tavrımız (Turkey, the Dissolving Country, and Our Stance)
- Çözülen Ülke Türkiye ve Ülkümüz (Turkey, the Dissolving Country, and Our Ideal)
- MHP 40. Yıl - Bir Hilal Uğruna (MHP 40th Year - For a Crescent)
- Ortak Akılda Buluşma (Meeting in Common Sense)
- Siyasi Hayat ve Normalleşme Süreci (Political Life and Normalization Process)
- Yönetilmeyen Türkiye "Kutuplaşma, Kargaşa ve Kaos" (Unmanaged Turkey "Polarization, Turmoil, and Chaos")
- Teslimiyet ve Açılım Siyaseti "Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Güvenlik" (Surrender and Opening Politics "Democracy, Economy, Security")
- Terör Kıskacında Türkiye: Tarihi Uyarı (Turkey in the Grip of Terror: Historical Warning)
See also
In Spanish: Devlet Bahçeli para niños
