Deniz Baykal

Deniz Baykal (born July 20 1938 in Antalya, Turkey) is a Turkish politician and long-time leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP). At the moment, he is the main opposition leader of the Turkish parliament.

Biography

Baykal was born to Hüseyin Hilmi who was a Caucasian muhajir and Feride whose family came from Egypt (claimed to be of Cretan descent).^[1] He was educated at the University of Ankara's Faculty of Law. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University, New York in the U.S. as a research fellow, and finished his PhD by 1963 in Ankara. He became an Associate Professor in the University of Ankara's Faculty of Science, where he lectured extensively. He quit his career as an academician in 1973, when he was elected as a member of the Turkish parliament from the Republican People's Party. He served as the Minister of Finance, Energy and Foreign Affairs in various times throughout his career, as well as Deputy Prime Minister. He became the Republican People Party's General Secrerary in 1988, and in 1992, he was elected as the leader of the party, which he still continues. Today, his social-democrat and secular Republican People's Party is the second biggest of the country and is serving as the major opposition party in the parliament. Baykal was elected as the Vice President of the Socialist International in 2003, where he is still on duty. Baykal and his party was very active in preventing deployment of the US soldiers on Turkish territories against Iraq.^[2]

References

•  • e Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey

Bekir Sami Kunduk • Ahmet Muhtar Mollaoğlu • Yusuf Kemal Tengirşenk • İsmet İnönü • Şükrü Kaya • Tevfik Rüştü Aras • Şükrü Saracoğlu • Numan Menemencioğlu • Hasan Saka • Necmettin Sadak • Mehmet Fuat Köprülü • Adnan Menderes • Fatin Rüştü Zorlu • Ethem Menderes • Selim Sarper • Feridun Cemal Erkin • Hasan Esat Işık • İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil • Osman Olcay • Haluk Bayülken • Turan Güneş • Metin Esenbel • Gündüz Ökçün • Hayrettin Erkmen • Ertuğrul Ekrem Ceyhun • İlter Türkmen • Vahit Melih Halefoğlu • Mesut Yılmaz • Ali Bozer • Ahmet Kurtcebe Alptemoçin • Safa Giray • Hikmet Çetin • Mümtaz Soysal • Murat Karayalçın • Erdal İnönü • Coşkun Kırca • Deniz Baykal • Emre Gönensay • Tansu Çiller • İsmail Cem • Şükrü Sina Gürel • Yaşar Yakış • Abdullah Gül • Ali Babacan