Ahmet İsvan (1923–2017) was a leftist Turkish politician. He served as the

mayor of Istanbul This is a list of mayors of Istanbul, Turkey. This covers the Ottoman Empire to the modern day; the name of the city in English is Constantinople during the Ottoman period and in the Republican era until 1930. Ottoman Empire During 1453–18 ...

between 1973 and 1977. He was among the pioneers of the

municipal socialism Municipal socialism is a type of socialism that uses local government to further socialist aims. It is a form of municipalism in which its explicitly socialist aims are clearly stated. In some contexts the word "municipalism" was tainted with the ...

in Turkey.

Early life and education

İsvan was born in Istanbul in 1923. His father was a bureaucrat working in the state-owned Sümerbank. He was a graduate of

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a highly selective, independent, co-educational high school in Turkey.The Turkish education system divides schools i ...

where he first met Bülent Ecevit, future leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP). İsvan, Bülent Ecevit and his wife Rahşan were all 1944 graduates of Robert College. İsvan studied

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and s ...

in the USA.

Career

İsvan bought a farm in

Taşköprü, Yalova Taşköprü (literally "stone bridge") is a coastal town (''belde'') in Çiftlikköy District of Yalova Province, Turkey. Its population is 4,271 (2022). Taşköprü is situated on a peninsula. It is from Çiftlikköy on the Turkish state highwa ...

, after his studies. He joined the CHP's Yalova organization. From the early 1970s he became active in the CHP's Istanbul organization. In the 1973 local election he was elected as the mayor of Istanbul from CHP, replacing Fahri Atabey in the post. Bülent Ecevit asked him to run for the office. Isvan took 56.12% of votes in the election. Isvan's tenure ended in December 1977 since he lost the pre-election carried out before the

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. He was replaced by Aytekin Kotil, a fellow CHP member, in the post. Isvan established the Istanbul People’s Bread during his term as mayor to sell cheap but quality bread to those in need in the city. In 1977 Isvan and other CHP mayors, including Ankara mayor

Vedat Dalokay Vedat Dalokay (10 November 1927 – 21 March 1991) was a renowned Turkish architect and a former mayor of Ankara. Early life and education He was born in Elazığ in 1927 to İbrahim Bey from Pertek. He completed his elementary and seconda ...

and İzmit mayor Erol Köse issued a declaration on the municipal socialism. Following the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

on 12 September 1980 İsvan was arrested and imprisoned for 27 months. The reason for his arrest was his alleged role in the 1 May demonstrations organized by the DISK, a leftist confederation of trade unions. After his release from the prison İsvan involved in agricultural activities at his farm in Taşköprü. Later he joined the Social Democratic Populist Party, being a member of its council. In the party İsvan was part of the left-wing faction alongside Seyfi Oktay and Cevdet Selvi.

Personal life and death

İsvan met his future wife, Reha, while studying at Robert College. They married when he returned to Turkey following his graduation from the California University. They had three children. İsvan died in Istanbul on 1 May 2017.

Funeral prayers ( ar, صلاة الجنازة) is the Islamic funeral prayer; a part of the Islamic funeral ritual. The prayer is performed in congregation to seek pardon for the deceased and all dead Muslims. The is a collective obligation upon Muslims () i. ...

for him were performed at the

Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque that st ...

, Istanbul, and he was buried in Taşköprü next to his wife who had died on 9 May 2013.

Work

İsvan was the author of several books including ''Başkent gölgesinde İstanbul'' (Turkish: ''Istanbul in the shadow of the capital'') published by İletişim Publications in 2002 and ''Köprüler gelip geçmeye. Tarımda bir modernleşme'' (Turkish: ''Bridges to come and go. Modernization in agriculture'') published in 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:İsvan, Ahmet 1923 births 2017 deaths Politicians from Istanbul Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Mayors of Istanbul Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey) politicians Robert College alumni Turkish prisoners and detainees Turkish farmers 21st-century Turkish writers Politicians arrested in Turkey