Beşir Atalay

Turkish politician (born 1947)

Beşir Atalay MP


Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
In office 14 July 2011 – 29 August 2014
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Serving with	Bülent Arınç Ali Babacan Bekir Bozdağ Emrullah İşler
Preceded by	Cemil Çiçek
Succeeded by	Numan Kurtulmuş
Minister of the Interior
In office 28 August 2007 – 14 July 2011
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Preceded by	Abdülkadir Aksu
Succeeded by	İdris Naim Şahin
Minister of state
In office 19 November 2002 – 28 August 2007
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Member of the Grand National Assembly
In office 1 November 2015 – 24 June 2018
Constituency	Van (Nov 2015)
In office 14 November 2002 – 7 June 2015
Constituency	Ankara (II) (2002, 2007) Kırıkkale (2011)

Personal details
Born	(1947-01-15) 15 January 1947 (age 77) Keskin, Turkey
Political party	Justice and Development Party (2001 - 2019)
Alma mater	Ankara University

Beşir Atalay (pronounced [beʃiɾ ˈataɫaj]; born 1947) is a Turkish politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey in the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from 2011 to 2014. Previously he was minister of interior from 28 August 2007 to 14 July 2011.

Early years and academic career

Born in Keskin, Kırıkkale Province, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Ankara University and worked as a lecturer at Atatürk University in Erzurum. He then worked at the State Planning Organization (DPT), Marmara University, and UNESCO's Turkish National Commission. Atalay was the founding rector of the Kırıkkale University until he was removed from office by the Board of Higher Education (YÖK) in the aftermath of the Turkish military memorandum of 1997, on grounds he was involved in activities contrary to the interests of the state.^[1]

Political career

In the General Elections of 2002, he was elected a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey representing Ankara for the AKP^[2] and later he became a minister of state in Erdoğan's first cabinet following President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's veto of a proposal to appoint Atalay as minister of education. Then in August 2007 he was appointed interior minister, one of the few cabinet changes following the re-election of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that summer, and also following Sezer's retirement from the presidency. In 2009, he was assigned with the task to find a solution to the Turkish Kurdish conflict, a project which lasted until December 2009 and was not supported by the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).^[3] In 2011, he was named deputy prime minister with the responsibility of human rights and the fight against terrorism and served in the post until 2014. He was re-elected to the Turkish Parliament in the general elections of November 2015, this time representing the province of Van for the AKP,^[4] but did not stand as a candidate in 2018.^[1]

Personal life

Beşir Atalay is married to Yıldız Atalay and has three children. He is a member of the Community of İskenderpaşa, a Turkish sufistic community of Naqshbandi tariqah.^[5]

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Who's who in Politics in Turkey" (PDF). Heinrich Böll Stiftung. pp. 60–61. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
^ "Ankara Seçim Sonuçları". secim.haberler.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
^ Yeğen, Mesut (2015). "The Kurdish Peace Process in Turkey: Genesis, Evolution and Prospects" (PDF). www.files.ethz.ch. p. 6–7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-18. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ "Seçim sonuçları 2015 – 1 Kasım Van seçim sonuçları son dakika". www.sozcu.com.tr. Archived from the original on 2017-04-11. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
^ Eurasia Review: "The Naqshbandi-Khalidi Order And Political Islam In Turkey – Analysis" Hudson Institute. 5 September 2015

References

Biyografi.net - Biography of Beşir Atalay

Political offices
Preceded by Abdülkadir Aksu	Minister of the Interior 2007–2011	Succeeded by İdris Naim Şahin
Preceded by Cemil Çiçek	First Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey 2011–2014	Succeeded by Numan Kurtulmuş

Gül Cabinet (2002–2003)

Cabinet

Prime Minister

Abdullah Gül (2002–2003)

Deputy Prime Ministers

Mehmet Ali Şahin (2002–2003)
Abdüllatif Şener (2002–2003)
Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır (2002–2003)

Minister of State

Mehmet Aydın (2002–2003)
Beşir Atalay (2002–2003)
Ali Babacan (2002–2003)
Kürşad Tüzmen (2002–2003)

Minister of Justice

Cemil Çiçek (2002–2003)

Minister of National Defense

Mehmet Vecdi Gönül (2002–2003)

Minister of Interior

Abdülkadir Aksu (2002–2003)

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Yaşar Yakış (2002–2003)

Minister of Finance

Kemal Unakıtan (2002–2003)

Minister of National Education

Erkan Mumcu (2002–2003)

Minister of Public Works and Settlement

Zeki Ergezen (2002–2003)

Minister of Health

Recep Akdağ (2002–2003)

Minister of Transport and Communication

Binali Yıldırım (2002–2003)

Minister of Agriculture

Sami Güçlü (2002–2003)

Minister of Labour and Social Security

Murat Başesgioğlu (2002–2003)

Minister of Industry and Commerce

Ali Coşkun (2002–2003)

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Mehmet Hilmi Güler (2002–2003)

Minister of Culture

Hüseyin Çelik (2002–2003)

Minister of Tourism

Güldal Akşit (2002–2003)

Minister of Environment

İmdat Sütlüoğlu (2002–2003)

Minister of Forestry

Osman Pepe (2002–2003)

v t e First Erdoğan Cabinet (2003–2007)
Cabinet
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2003–2014)
Deputy Prime Ministers	Abdullah Gül (2003–2007) Mehmet Ali Şahin (2003–2007) Abdüllatif Şener (2003–2007)
Minister of State	Ali Babacan (2003–2007) Güldal Akşit (2003-2005) Nimet Çubukçu (2005–2007) Mehmet Aydın (2003–2007) Kürşad Tüzmen (2003–2007) Beşir Atalay (2003–2007)
Minister of Justice	Cemil Çiçek (2003–2007) Fahri Kasırga (2007)
Minister of National Defense	Mehmet Vecdi Gönül (2003–2007)
Minister of the Interior	Abdülkadir Aksu (2003–2007) Osman Güneş (2007)
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Abdullah Gül (2003–2007)
Minister of Finance	Kemal Unakıtan (2003–2007)
Minister of National Education	Hüseyin Çelik (2003–2007)
Minister of Public Works and Settlement	Zeki Ergezen (2003-2007) Faruk Nafız Özak (2005–2007)
Minister of Health	Recep Akdağ (2003–2007)
Minister of Transport and Communication	Binali Yıldırım (2003–2007) İsmet Yılmaz (2007)
Minister of Agriculture	Sami Güçlü (2003–2005) Mehmet Mehdi Eker (2005–2007)
Minister of Labour and Social Security	Murat Başesgioğlu (2003–2007)
Minister of Industry and Commerce	Ali Coşkun (2003–2007)
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources	Mehmet Hilmi Güler (2003–2007)
Minister of Culture and Tourism	Erkan Mumcu (2003–2005) Atilla Koç (2005–2007)
Minister of Environment and Forestry	Osman Pepe (2003–2007)

v t e Second Erdoğan Cabinet (2007–2011)
Cabinet
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2003–2014)
Deputy Prime Ministers	Cemil Çiçek (2007–2011) Hayati Yazıcı (2007–2009) Bülent Arınç (2009–2011) Nazım Ekren (2007–2009) Ali Babacan (2009–2011)
Minister of State	Mehmet Aydın (2007–2011) Kürşad Tüzmen (2007-2009) Mehmet Zafer Çağlayan (2009–2011) Nimet Çubukçu (2007–2009) Selma Aliye Kavaf (2009–2011) Cevdet Yılmaz (2009–2011) Mustafa Sait Yazıcıoğlu (2007–2009) Faruk Çelik (2009–2011) Murat Başesgioğlu (2007–2009) Faruk Nafız Özak (2009–2011) Egemen Bağış (2009–2011) Hayati Yazıcı (2009–2011)
Minister of Justice	Mehmet Ali Şahin (2007–2009) Sadullah Ergin (2009–2011)
Minister of National Defense	Mehmet Vecdi Gönül (2007–2011)
Minister of the Interior	Beşir Atalay (2007–2011)
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Ali Babacan (2007–2009) Ahmet Davutoğlu (since 2009–2011)
Minister of Finance	Kemal Unakıtan (2007–2009) Mehmet Şimşek (2009–2011)
Minister of National Education	Hüseyin Çelik (2007–2009) Nimet Çubukçu (2009–2011)
Minister of Public Works and Settlement	Faruk Nafız Özak (2007-2009) Mustafa Demir (2009–2011)
Minister of Health	Recep Akdağ (2007–2011)
Minister of Transport and Communication	Binali Yıldırım (2007–2011)
Minister of Agriculture	Mehmet Mehdi Eker (2007–2011)
Minister of Labour and Social Security	Faruk Çelik (2007–2009) Ömer Dinçer (2009–2011)
Minister of Industry and Commerce	Mehmet Zafer Çağlayan (2007–2009) Nihat Ergün (2009–2011)
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources	Mehmet Hilmi Güler (2007–2009) Taner Yıldız (2009–2011)
Minister of Culture and Tourism	Ertuğrul Günay (2007–2011)
Minister of Environment and Forestry	Veysel Eroğlu (2007–2011)

v t e Third Erdoğan Cabinet (2011–2014)
Cabinet
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2003–2014)
Deputy Prime Ministers	Bülent Arınç (2011–2014) Ali Babacan (2011–2014) Beşir Atalay (2011–2014) Bekir Bozdağ (2011–2013) Emrullah İşler (2013–2014)
Minister of Culture and Tourism	Ertuğrul Günay (2011–2013) Ömer Çelik (2013–2014)
Minister of Customs and Trade	Hayati Yazıcı (2011–2014)
Minister of Development	Cevdet Yılmaz (2011–2014)
Minister of Economy	Zafer Çağlayan (2011–2013) Nihat Zeybekçi (2013–2014)
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources	Taner Yıldız (2011–2014)
Minister of Environment and Urban Planning	Erdoğan Bayraktar (2011–2013) İdris Güllüce (2013–2014)
Minister of European Union Affairs	Egemen Bağış (2011–2013) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (2013–2014)
Minister of Family and Social Policy	Fatma Şahin (2011–2013) Ayşenur İslam (2013–2014)
Minister of Finance	Mehmet Şimşek (2011–2014)
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock	Mehmet Mehdi Eker (2011–2014)
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Ahmet Davutoğlu (2011–2014)
Minister of Forest and Water Management	Veysel Eroğlu (2011–2014)
Minister of Health	Recep Akdağ (2011–2013) Mehmet Müezzinoğlu (2013–2014)
Minister of the Interior	İdris Naim Şahin (2011–2013) Muammer Güler (2013–2013) Efkan Ala (2013–2014)
Minister of Justice	Sadullah Ergin (2011–2013) Bekir Bozdağ (2013–2014)
Minister of Labour and Social Security	Faruk Çelik (2011–2014)
Minister of National Defense	İsmet Yılmaz (2011–2014)
Minister of National Education	Ömer Dinçer (2011–2013) Nabi Avcı (2013–2014)
Minister of Science, Industry and Technology	Nihat Ergün (2011–2013) Fikri Işık (2013–2014)
Minister of Transport	Binali Yıldırım (2011–2013) Lütfi Elvan (2013–2014)
Minister of Youth and Sports	Suat Kılıç (2011–2013) Akif Çağatay Kılıç (2013–2014)

v t e Ministers of the Interior of Turkey
Cami Baykut Hakkı Behiç Bayiç Nazım Resmor Refet Bele Ata Atalay Refet Bele Fethi Okyar İsmail Safa Özler Fethi Okyar Ahmet Ferit Tek Recep Peker Mehmet Cemil Uybadın Şükrü Kaya Refik Saydam Faik Öztrak Ahmet Fikri Tüzer Recep Peker Hilmi Uran Şükrü Sökmensüer Münir Hüsrev Göle Mehmet Emin Erişirgil Rüknettin Nasuhioğlu Halil İbrahim Özyörük Fevzi Lütfi Karaosmanoğlu İbrahim Ethem Menderes Namık Gedik İbrahim Ethem Menderes Namık Gedik Muharrem İhsan Kızıloğlu Emin Fahrettin Özdilek Ahmet Topaloğlu Kemal Sahir Kurutluoğlu Hıfzı Oğuz Bekata İlyas Seçkin Orhan Öztrak İsmail Hakkı Akdoğan İzzet Gener Faruk Sükan Salih Ragıp Üner Haldun Menteşeoğlu Hamdi Ömeroğlu Ferit Kubat Mukadder Öztekin Oğuzhan Asiltürk Mukadder Öztekin Oğuzhan Asiltürk Sabahattin Özbek Necdet Uğur Korkut Özal İrfan Özaydınlı Hasan Fehmi Güneş Vecdi İlhan Mustafa Gülcügil Orhan Eren Selahattin Çetiner Ali Tanrıyar Yıldırım Akbulut Ahmet Selçuk Mustafa Kalemli Abdülkadir Aksu Mustafa Kalemli Sabahattin Çakmakoğlu İsmet Sezgin Mehmet Gazioğlu Nahit Menteşe Teoman Ünüsan Ülkü Güney Mehmet Ağar Meral Akşener Murat Başesgioğlu Kutlu Aktaş Cahit Bayar Sadettin Tantan Rüştü Kazım Yücelen Muzaffer Ecemiş Abdülkadir Aksu Osman Güneş Beşir Atalay Osman Güneş İdris Naim Şahin Muammer Güler Efkan Ala Sebahattin Öztürk Selami Altınok Efkan Ala Süleyman Soylu Ali Yerlikaya