Prime Ministers Of Turkey

The Prime Minister of Turkey is the head of the government of Turkey. The prime minister is also part of the executive branch of the Turkish government, along with the cabinet of Turkey and the President of Turkey. The prime minister is the leader of the cabinet and also the leader of the main political party or coalition in the Turkish parliament. The prime minister can suggest to the president which ministers to dismiss from office and is also the person in charge of supervising the implementation of government policy, along with the Council of Ministers.

1923, when the Ottoman Empire was declared to be a republic, the prime minister began to be appointed by the president of Turkey, instead of the Sultan, who had his position abolished when the Ottoman caliphate was officially ended in 1924. After the prime minister is appointed they must be approved by getting a majority of the votes of confidence from the Grand National Assembly.

Notable Turkish Prime Ministers

İsmet İnönü

İsmet İnönü (1884-1973) was the longest serving prime minister in the history of Turkey, and the first person to serve as prime minister upon Turkey being officially declared a republic. He also served as the country's second president from 1938 until 1950 and as a general of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. İnönü served as prime minister of Turkey on three separate occasions from November 1923 to November 1924, March 1925 to October 1937 and finally from November 1961 until February 1965. He was prime minister for a grand total of 16 years and 318 days,.

Adnan Menderes

Adnan Menderes (1899-1961) was the second longest serving prime minister in the history of Turkey. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party, which broke through in the second free elections in Turkey in 1950 defeating the ruling Republican People's Party, which had been in power since the Republic of Turkey was founded. This was the first time in Turkey that there was a peaceful transfer of power in a free election between parties and Menderes became Prime Minister. Menderes served his time as prime minister in one 11 year, 167-day stretch in which he formed three different cabinets.

Süleyman Demirel

Süleyman Demirel (1924-2015) was the third longest-serving prime minister in the history of Turkey. Demirel served his time as prime minister in five different stretches. He also served as the ninth president of Turkey from 1993 until 2000. He was prime minister from October 1965 to March 1971, March 1975 to June 1977, July 1977 to January 1978, November 1979 to September 1980 and finally from November 1991 until May 1993. He formed seven different cabinets in his time as prime minister. 

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the fourth longest-serving prime minister in the history of Turkey and has been the President of the country since August 28th, 2014. Erdoğan became prime minister in 2003 and held the office for 11 years and 167 days in a row, the second longest uninterrupted term as prime minister in the history of Turkey. During his time as prime minister he formed three different cabinets.