Köksal Toptan (born 1943, in

Rize Rize (Greek language, Greek: ρίζα, Laz language, Laz: რიზინი, Georgian language, Georgian: რიზე, , Ottoman Turkish: ريزه) is the capital city of Rize Province in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Rize ...

) is a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

lawyer, politician and a member of the

Justice and Development Party Justice and Development Party may refer to several political parties, the best-known ones being: * Justice and Development Party (Morocco) * Justice and Development Party (Turkey) Justice and Development Party may also refer to: * Justice and Dev ...

. He earlier served as government minister in three cabinets. He was the speaker of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

between August 2007 and August 2009. He was educated in the Faculty of Law at

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

. He worked as a lawyer following his graduation. Köksal Toptan entered politics first at regional level in

Zonguldak Zonguldak () is a city and the capital of Zonguldak Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It was established in 1849 as a port town for the nearby coal mines in Ereğli and the coal trade remains its main economic activity. According to the ...

. Later, he was elected to the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as Deputy of Zonguldak and Bartın. He served as Minister of State in the 6th

Süleyman Demirel Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...

cabinet (12 November 1979 – 12 September 1980), as Minister of National Education in the 7th Demirel cabinet (23 June 1991 – 25 June 1993) and then as Minister of Culture in the 2nd

Tansu Çiller Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She is Turkey's first and only female prime minister to date. As the leader of the True Path P ...

cabinet (5 October 1995 – 30 October 1995). During the government of

(AKP), he was the chairman of the parliament commission of justice between 2003-2007. Elected as deputy of Zonguldak from the AKP again in 2007, he was nominated by his party for the post of Speaker of the Parliament on 8 August 2007.AKP'nin adayı Köksal Toptan
''Sabah'', 8 August 2007 On 9 August 2007, Köksal Toptan was elected 23rd Speaker of the parliament, supported also by the opposition parties. Köksal Toptan is married with three children.

Extended biography

On 12 November 1979, he was appointed as a state minister in the Süleyman Demirel government, a post he held until the military coup of September 12, 1980. Banned from politics, Toptan started to work as a lawyer and even represented Demirel, who was also banned from political activity. He became famous winning all the cases in which he defended Demirel. In 1983, he took an active role in the establishment of the

True Path Party The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...

(DYP), then led by

Hüsamettin Cindoruk Ahmet Hüsamettin Cindoruk (born 8 June 1933) is a Turkish politician and the 17th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 1991 and 1995. He was also the acting president of Turkey in 1993 and the leader of two political parties, notably o ...

, and entered Parliament for a second time as a

deputy in the interim elections held on 28 September 1986. In the 1991 elections, he became a deputy from Bartın and then was appointed minister of education. During his term, he introduced innovative projects such as open high schools and student transfers from the Turkic republics. After Demirel was elected president in 1993, he competed with

for leadership of the DYP but was defeated and resigned from his post as education minister. In 1995, he served as culture minister and was re-elected as a Bartın deputy in the general elections held in December of that year. In the 1999 general elections, Toptan was unable to enter Parliament but began to work as the chairman of a foundation promoting Turkey. Before the 2002 elections, he was invited by Erdoğan to the AKP, was elected as a deputy from Zonguldak and was appointed chairman of the parliamentary Justice Commission, where he helped draft the new

Turkish Penal Code Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

(TCK). Before

Gül Gul is a common name in Persian ( ) and Turkish () languages, meaning ''rose''. Gul is used as a family name in Europe, Central and South Asia. It is also a Nordic given name, used in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian languages as a short form ...

was first nominated for the presidency, his name was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for that post. He was hospitalized at the hour when Gül’s candidacy was announced and it was rumored backstage that Toptan’s illness could be attributed to his disappointment about not being nominated. Toptan's wife is a former judge with the

Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the supreme court, highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and ...

. During his term as education minister, Toptan conducted appreciable work related to disabilities and encouraged the opening of numerous rehabilitation centers. Toptan’s wife, Saime Toptan, is the chairwoman of the Turkish Training and Solidarity Foundation for the Disabled.

References

Toptan’s election paves way for Gül presidency
Zaman. {{DEFAULTSORT:Toptan, Koksal 1943 births Living people People from Rize Justice Party (Turkey) politicians Democrat Party (Turkey, current) politicians Justice and Development Party (Turkey) politicians Government ministers of Turkey Ministers of National Education of Turkey Ministers of Culture of Turkey Speakers of the Parliament of Turkey Deputies of Zonguldak 20th-century Turkish lawyers Istanbul University alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni Deputies of Bartın Members of the 24th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 23rd Parliament of Turkey Members of the 22nd Parliament of Turkey Members of the 20th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 43rd government of Turkey Members of the 49th government of Turkey Members of the 51st government of Turkey Ministers of State of Turkey