Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat | |
|---|---|
Abdulkadir Aksu | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 August 1943 |
| Died | 11 July 2019 (aged 75) |
| Political party | Virtue Party (FP) 1999-2001 Justice and Development Party (AKP) 2001-2014 Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) 2015-2019 |
| Alma mater | Ankara University, Law School |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat (8 August 1943 – 11 July 2019) was a Turkish politician of
Early life
Fırat was born in the district of
In Kurdish, the name 'Dengir' means "great voice" while the name 'Mîr' means bey (local leader). Mir Mehmet was the name of one of Fırat's forefathers.[1] From a Kurdish background, Fırat's grandfather was given a medal by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.[2][3]
After graduation, Fırat served as a freelance lawyer, a farmer and an export tradesman. He was a member of the Executive Board of the Mediterranean Exporters Association.
Political career
Felicity Party, 1999-2001
Fırat was elected as a Member of Parliament for Adyaman from the Islamist orientated Virtue Party (FP) in the 1999 general election. The party saw a split between traditionalist Islamists and moderate conservatives over the course of the Parliament, with a party leadership election contested by the most modern Abdullah Gül and traditionalist incumbent Recai Kutan yielding a victory for Kutan. In the 2000 presidential election, Fırat put his name forward as a candidate, but withdrew and was defeated by cross-party candidate Ahmet Necdet Sezer.[4] The party was closed down in 2001 by the Constitutional Court for violating state secularism, after which traditionalist MPs formed the Felicity Party (SP) while moderate conservatives formed the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Fırat was one of the founding members of the AKP and joined the party after the FP's dissolution.
Justice and Development Party, 2001-14
As one of the founders of the AKP, Fırat served as a Deputy leader of the party under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was elected in the 2002 general election as a Member of Parliament for Mersin and re-elected in the 2007 general election as a Member of Parliament for Adana. He did not contest the 2011 general election. Despite the AKP forming a majority government in both 2002 and 2007, Fırat was not made a Minister despite being one of the AKP's founders. In an interview given to The New York Times in 2008, Fırat caused controversy after criticising Atatürk for his secular revolutions for causing a "trauma" within society.[5]
Serving as the party's deputy leader, Fırat resigned from this role in November 2008 after accusations of corruption during a live debate with
Peoples' Democratic Party, 2015-2019
Fırat defected from the AKP to the HDP in February 2015, with the intention of running for Parliament from Mersin as a HDP candidate.
See also
References
- ^ "SABAH - Türkiye'nin en iyi gazetesi". arsiv.sabah.com.tr.
- ^ "Radikal-çevrimiçi / Politika / AKP'de Gül'e yakın isimlere veto". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Steinvorth, Daniel (9 December 2008). "Turkey's Faltering Reform Drive: Erdogan Striking Nationalist Tones". Der Spiegel – via Spiegel Online.
- ^ "Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat Baba'ya bir rakip daha". 29 March 2000.
- ^ "AKP'li Fırat: Atatürk devrimleri travma yarattı".
- ^ "Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat görevden alındı". 7 November 2008.
- ^ "AK Parti'de Fırat istifa etti". Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-06-26.
- ^ "Fırat, AK Parti'den istifa etti".
- ^ "AKP'nin kurucusu HDP'ye katıldı, Mersin'den aday adayı oldu".
- ^ "HDP'nin Aday Listesinde Dikkat Çeken İki İsim". 7 April 2015.
- ^ "HDP'nin adayı belli oldu". 22 June 2015.
- ^ "AK Party candidate İsmet Yılmaz becomes Turkey's new Parliament Speaker". Daily Sabah. July 2015.
- ^ "Former Turkish deputy Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat dies aged 76". DailySabah. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-12.