List of prime ministers of Turkey

  • Top left: İsmet İnönü was Turkey's first prime minister and the longest serving prime minister.
  • Top right: Süleyman Demirel was the prime minister who formed the most governments in Turkey.
  • Bottom left: Tansu Çiller was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.
  • Bottom right: Binali Yıldırım was Turkey's last prime minister.

The position of Prime Minister of Turkey was established in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. The prime minister was the head of the executive branch of the government along with the Cabinet. Following the 2017 constitutional referendum, the office of prime minister was abolished and the President became the head of the executive branch after the 2018 general election.

For a list of grand viziers of the predecessor Ottoman Empire, see List of Ottoman grand viziers.

List of prime ministers (1920–2018)

[edit]
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Election
(Parliament)
Term of office Political party Cabinet Speaker
(Term)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
(1881–1938)
1920 (1st) 3 May 1920 24 January 1921 266 days Association for Defence of National Rights Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

(1920–1923)
2 Fevzi Çakmak
(1876–1950)
— (1st) 24 January 1921 19 May 1921 1 year, 166 days Association for Defence of National Rights Çakmak I
19 May 1921 9 July 1922 Çakmak II
3 Rauf Orbay
(1881–1964)
— (1st) 12 July 1922 4 August 1923 1 year, 23 days Association for Defence of National Rights Orbay
4 Fethi Okyar
(1880–1943)
— (1st) 14 August 1923 27 October 1923 74 days Association for Defence of National Rights Okyar

Prime Ministers of the Republic of Turkey (1923–2018)

[edit]
Status
  Denotes acting prime minister
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Election
(Parliament)
Term of office Political party Cabinet President
(Term)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 İsmet İnönü
(1886–1973)
1923 (2nd) 30 October 1923 6 March 1924 1 year, 23 days Republican People's Party İnönü I Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

(1923–1938)
— (2nd) 6 March 1924 22 November 1924 İnönü II
2 Fethi Okyar
(1880–1943)
— (2nd) 22 November 1924 6 March 1925 104 days Republican People's Party Okyar
(1) İsmet İnönü
(1886–1973)
— (2nd) 6 March 1925 1 November 1927 12 years, 240 days Republican People's Party İnönü III
1927 (3rd) 1 November 1927 27 September 1930 İnönü IV
— (3rd) 27 September 1930 4 May 1931 İnönü V
1931 (4th) 4 May 1931 1 March 1935 İnönü VI
1935 (5th) 1 March 1935 1 November 1937 İnönü VII
3 Celâl Bayar
(1883–1986)
— (5th) 1 November 1937 11 November 1938 1 year, 85 days Republican People's Party Bayar I
— (5th) 11 November 1938 25 January 1939 Bayar II İsmet İnönü

(1938–1950)
4 Refik Saydam
(1881–1942)
— (5th) 25 January 1939 3 April 1939 3 years, 164 days Republican People's Party Saydam I
1939 (6th) 3 April 1939 8 July 1942
(Died in office)
Saydam II
5 Şükrü Saracoğlu
(1887–1953)
— (6th) 8 July 1942 9 March 1943 4 years, 29 days Republican People's Party Saracoğlu I
1943 (7th) 9 March 1943 7 August 1946 Saracoğlu II
6 Recep Peker
(1889–1950)
1946 (8th) 7 August 1946 9 September 1947 1 year, 33 days Republican People's Party Peker
7 Hasan Saka
(1885–1960)
— (8th) 9 September 1947 10 June 1948 1 year, 128 days Republican People's Party Saka I
— (8th) 10 June 1948 16 January 1949 Saka II
8 Şemsettin Günaltay
(1883–1961)
— (8th) 16 January 1949 22 May 1950 1 year, 126 days Republican People's Party Günaltay
9 Adnan Menderes
(1899–1961)
1950 (9th) 22 May 1950 9 March 1951 10 years, 5 days Democrat Party Menderes I Celâl Bayar

(1950–1960)
— (9th) 9 March 1951 17 May 1954 Menderes II
1954 (10th) 17 May 1954 9 December 1955 Menderes III
(10th) 9 December 1955 25 November 1957 Menderes IV
1957 (11th) 25 November 1957 27 May 1960[a] Menderes V
10 Cemal Gürsel
(1894–1966)
27 May 1960 5 January 1961 1 year, 152 days Military Gürsel I National Unity Committee
(1960–1961)
5 January 1961 27 October 1961 Gürsel II
(1) İsmet İnönü
(1886–1973)
1961 (12th) 27 October 1961 25 June 1962 3 years, 92 days Republican People's Party İnönü VIII Cemal Gürsel

(1961–1966)
— (12th) 25 June 1962 25 December 1963 İnönü IX
— (12th) 25 December 1963 20 February 1965 İnönü X
11 Suat Hayri Ürgüplü
(1903–1981)
— (12th) 20 February 1965 27 October 1965 249 days Independent Ürgüplü
12 Süleyman Demirel
(1924–2015)
1965 (13th) 27 October 1965 3 November 1969 5 years, 150 days Justice Party Demirel I
1969 (14th) 3 November 1969 6 March 1970 Demirel II Cevdet Sunay

(1966–1973)
— (14th) 6 March 1970 26 March 1971[b] Demirel III
13 Nihat Erim
(1912–1980)
— (14th) 26 March 1971 11 December 1971 1 year, 22 days Independent Erim I
— (14th) 11 December 1971 17 April 1972 Erim II
14 Ferit Melen
(1906–1988)
— (14th) 17 April 1972 15 April 1973 363 days Republican Reliance Party Melen
15 Naim Talu
(1919–1998)
1973 (15th) 15 April 1973 25 January 1974 285 days Independent Talu Fahri Korutürk

(1973–1980)
16 Bülent Ecevit
(1925–2006)
— (15th) 25 January 1974 17 November 1974 296 days Republican People's Party Ecevit I
17 Sadi Irmak
(1906–1990)
— (15th) 17 November 1974 31 March 1975 134 days Independent Irmak
(12) Süleyman Demirel
(1924–2015)
— (15th) 31 March 1975 21 June 1977 2 years, 82 days Justice Party Demirel IV
(16) Bülent Ecevit
(1925–2006)
1977 (16th) 21 June 1977 21 July 1977 30 days Republican People's Party Ecevit II
(12) Süleyman Demirel
(1924–2015)
— (16th) 21 July 1977 5 January 1978 168 days Justice Party Demirel V
(16) Bülent Ecevit
(1925–2006)
— (16th) 5 January 1978 12 November 1979 1 year, 311 days Republican People's Party Ecevit III
(12) Süleyman Demirel
(1924–2015)
— (16th) 12 November 1979 12 September 1980[c] 305 days Justice Party Demirel VI
18 Bülend Ulusu
(1922–2015)
21 September 1980 13 December 1983 3 years, 83 days Military Ulusu National Security Council
(1980–1982)
Kenan Evren

(1982–1989)
19 Turgut Özal
(1927–1993)
1983 (17th) 13 December 1983 21 December 1987 5 years, 322 days Motherland Party Özal I
1987 (18th) 21 December 1987 9 November 1989 Özal II
20 Yıldırım Akbulut
(1935–2021)
— (18th) 9 November 1989 23 June 1991 1 year, 226 days Motherland Party Akbulut Turgut Özal

(1989–1993)
21 Mesut Yılmaz
(1947–2020)
— (18th) 23 June 1991 20 November 1991 150 days Motherland Party Yılmaz I
(12) Süleyman Demirel
(1924–2015)
1991 (19th) 20 November 1991 16 May 1993 1 year, 177 days True Path Party Demirel VII
22 Tansu Çiller
(born 1946)
— (19th) 25 June 1993 5 October 1995 2 years, 255 days True Path Party Çiller I Süleyman Demirel

(1993–2000)
— (19th) 5 October 1995 30 October 1995 Çiller II
— (19th) 30 October 1995 6 March 1996 Çiller III
(21) Mesut Yılmaz
(1947–2020)
1995 (20th) 6 March 1996 28 June 1996 114 days Motherland Party Yılmaz II
23 Necmettin Erbakan
(1926–2011)
— (20th) 28 June 1996 30 June 1997[d] 1 year, 2 days Welfare Party Erbakan
(21) Mesut Yılmaz
(1947–2020)
— (20th) 30 June 1997 11 January 1999 1 year, 195 days Motherland Party Yılmaz III
(16) Bülent Ecevit
(1925–2006)
— (20th) 11 January 1999 28 May 1999 3 years, 311 days Democratic Left Party Ecevit IV
1999 (21st) 28 May 1999 18 November 2002 Ecevit V Ahmet Necdet Sezer

(2000–2007)
24 Abdullah Gül
(born 1949)
2002 (22nd) 18 November 2002 14 March 2003 116 days Justice and Development Party Gül
25 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
(born 1954)
— (22nd) 14 March 2003 29 August 2007 11 years, 167 days Justice and Development Party Erdoğan I
2007 (23nd) 29 August 2007 6 July 2011 Erdoğan II Abdullah Gül

(2007–2014)
2011 (24th) 6 July 2011 29 August 2014 Erdoğan III
26 Ahmet Davutoğlu
(born 1959)
— (24th) 29 August 2014 28 August 2015 1 year, 269 days Justice and Development Party Davutoğlu I Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

(2014–2018)
Jun. 2015 (25th) 28 August 2015 17 November 2015 Davutoğlu II
Nov. 2015 (26th) 17 November 2015 24 May 2016 Davutoğlu III
27 Binali Yıldırım
(born 1955)
— (26th) 24 May 2016 9 July 2018 2 years, 46 days Justice and Development Party Yıldırım

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Deposed in the 1960 Turkish coup d'état.
  2. ^ Resigned after the 1971 Turkish military memorandum.
  3. ^ Deposed in the 1980 Turkish coup d'état.
  4. ^ Resigned after the 1997 Turkish military memorandum.

Timeline

[edit]
Binali YıldırımAhmet DavutoğluRecep Tayyip ErdoğanAbdullah GülNecmettin ErbakanTansu ÇillerMesut YılmazYıldırım AkbulutTurgut ÖzalBülend UlusuSadi IrmakBülent EcevitNaim TaluFerit MelenNihat ErimSüleyman DemirelSuat Hayri ÜrgüplüCemal GürselAdnan MenderesŞemsettin GünaltayHasan SakaRecep PekerŞükrü SaracoğluRefik SaydamCelal Bayarİsmet İnönüAli Fethi OkyarRauf OrbayFevzi ÇakmakMustafa Kemal Atatürk

See also

[edit]