Osman Bölükbaşı (1913 – February 6, 2002) was a Turkish politician and political party leader.

Early life

He was born at Hasanlar village of the former Mucur district in 1913. He completed his secondary education at the Istanbul High School. He studied Mathematics at the

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graduating in 1937. Returned home in 1938, Bölükbaşı began working as assistant to Fatin Gökmen at the Kandilli Observatory in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. In 1940, he took a teacher post in the Haydarpaşa High School, where he served until 1946.

Political career

Introduced to

Mehmet Fuat Köprülü Mehmet Fuat Köprülü (December 5, 1890 – June 28, 1966), also known as Köprülüzade Mehmed Fuad, was a highly influential Turkish sociologist, Turkologist, scholar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of the Rep ...

and Celal Bayar, the co-founders of the Democrat Party (DP) by Fatin Gökmen, Osman Bölükbaşı entered politics in 1946 becoming a party member. He was appointed Inspector General of the DP. However, he left the party in 1947 along with some other members due to a controversy over the intention of making harsh politics against the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP). On July 20, 1948, he co-founded with Fevzi Çakmak and some others the Nation Party (MP). Bölükbaşı was arrested in 1949 on allegation for conspiracy against Celal Bayar, leader of the DP, and

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...

, leader of the CHP. After a brieft while, he was released. Bölükbaşı entered 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 ...

representing his hometown Kırşehir as the only deputy of his party following the 1950 general elections. His party was banned in 1953 on the grounds of anti-

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

politics. Osman Bölükbaşı subsequently formed the Republican Nation Party (CMP) with the founders of the closed party. The new established party won five seats in the parliament at the 1954 general elections. All the five deputies were from Kırşehir, the hometown of Bölükbaşı. The ruling Democrat Party changed the province status of Kırşehir to district and subordinated it to

Nevşehir Province Nevşehir Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in central Turkey with its capital in Nevşehir. Its area is 5,485 km2, and its population is 317,952 (2024). Its adjacent provinces are Kırşehir Province, Kırşehir to the northwest ...

. Kırşehir remained district for the following period of three years. During this time, Bölükbaşı harshly criticized the government. Kırşehir's province status was restored in June 1957, however, the district of his village Hasanlar and three other districts remained within Nevşehir Province. Bölükbaşı was arrested in July 1957 on grounds of insulting the parliament. In the 1957 general elections, he secured a seat in the parliament along with other three party colleagues from the CMP. Because still imprisoned, he took the required

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

at the Tenth Ward of the Ankara Central Prison in pajamas before the inmates. To strengthen opposition to the ruling Democratic Party, the CMP merged with the Turkey Peasants' Party (TKP) to form the

Republican Peasants' Nation Party The Republican Villagers Nation Party (, CKMP), alternatively translated Republican Peasants' Nation Party, was a political party in Turkey. Fusions The party was founded after the fusion of two smaller nationalist parties. One of these partie ...

(CKMP) in 1958 under the leadership of Bölükbaşı. He was sentenced to ten months in prison in 1959. Following the 1960 military coup, Bölükbașı participated at the

Constitutional Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

in 1961 representing the CKMP. However, he rejected in an uncompromising manner to join the coalition government after the 1961 general elections. Bölükbaşı left the CKMP along with 28 other deputies in June 1962, and re-established the National Party (MP) upon his party's joining the 2nd coalition government of İsmet İnönü. He was named leader of the new party. In 1965, his party took part in the coalition government of

Suat Hayri Ürgüplü Ali Suat Hayri Ürgüplü (13 August 1903 – 26 December 1981) was a Turkish politician who served a brief term as Prime Minister of Turkey in 1965. He was also the last Prime Minister to be born outside the territory of present-day Turkey, be ...

. Bölükbaşı did not take office in the cabinet, and also openly criticized the government. In February 1969, the general assembly of his former party CKMP approved the renaming of the party to today's

Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party, or alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party (, MHP), is a Turkish Far-right politics, far-right, ultranationalism, ultranationalist Political parties in Turkey, political party. The group is often de ...

(MHP).

Later years

Osman Bölükbaşı stepped down from the post of the Nation Party's leadership in 1972. The reason of his quitting was the conflict of opinion within the party, and also finally injustice done by party members to Hasan Koçdemir, his close friend in active politics. On September 9, 1973, Bölükbaşı resigned from his post as the deputy of Ankara, he was holding since 1961, and left active politics five weeks before the 1973 general elections. Osman Bölükbaşı was a man of action and full of spirits, who won the sympathy of broad masses for his openness, straightforwardness, honesty, rhetoric, quick-wittedness and temperament. He was nicknamed "Anatolian Storm" ). For chatterers, the saying "Bölükbaşı gab" was coined. His mass meetings during the electoral campaigns were attended by crowds, who, however, did not always vote for him. Osman Bölükbaşı died of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a r ...

at the university hospital in Ankara on February 6, 2002, and was laid to rest two days later at the Cebeci Asri Cemetery following a memorial ceremony held at the parliament building and later a religious funeral service at the

Kocatepe Mosque The Kocatepe Mosque () is the largest mosque in Ankara, Turkey. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızılay, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central ...

in Ankara. He was survived by his wife Mediha Bölükbaşı (née Büyükyağcıoğlu) and his son Ahmet Deniz Bölükbaşı, who is a former ambassador and former MP from the

(MHP).

Early life

Political career

Later years

References

Further reading