- Title: TURKEY-DEMIREL/FUNERAL Funeral held for former Turkish President Demirel
- Date: 19th June 2015
- Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** VARIOUS OF FORMER PRESIDENT SULEYMAN DEMIREL HANDING OVER PRESIDENCY TO AHMET NECDET SEZER DEMIREL GETTING OUT OF CAR DEMIREL GIVING STATEMENT TO MEDIA DEMIREL WAVING AT CROWD
- Embargoed: 4th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAB9EUVLIQUKRGHIB2DZRAA9SJM
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A funeral ceremony was held on Friday (June 19) for former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel who was twice toppled by the military during seven stints as the head of government.
Demirel, who served as prime minister seven times through the 1960s to the 1990s and was president from 1993 to 2000, died at the Guven Hospital in Ankara, where he had been undergoing treatment for a respiratory tract infection.
Born into a farming family in the western Turkish province of Isparta in November 1924, Demirel trained as a civil engineer, according to an official government biography.
He first came to power in general elections held five years after a 1960 coup, as the head of the Justice Party.
He inherited his mostly rural power base from the former Democrat Party, which had been banned by the military.
Demirel had no children but was known as "Baba", or "Dad", to his fans in Turkey's farming heartland during his years in power.
"Turkey has lost a very important man of state and politics. I offer my condolences. He was a man of state who foresaw the dangers that awaited Turkey and warned Turkish people beforehand. I express my sympathies," said politician Tayfun Icli.
"He believed Turkey's strength depended on a strong economy, a strong democracy and a strong army because of its region. That was his dream for Turkey. He was irreplaceable," said former minister Hikmet Cetin.
Demirel served during a period of unstable coalitions in NATO-member Turkey that were brought to an end when the ruling AK Party, founded by President Tayyip Erdogan, came to power in 2002.
Turkey now faces a return to coalition politics after the AKP failed to secure a majority in June 7 elections, in a big setback for a party that has transformed the country into one of the world's top 20 economies.
Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu were among those attending the funeral. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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