Namık Kemal Zeybek (born 1944) is a Turkish politician and was leader of the Democratic Party (2011 - 2012). A former civil servant and district governor, he was government minister in different cabinets. He was born 1944 in the village of Kitre in

Bayburt Province Bayburt Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province of Turkey. Located in the Northeast Anatolia Region (statistical), Northeast Anatolia region of the country, the capital city is Bayburt. Its area is 3,746 km2, and its population is 84,24 ...

, northeastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He graduated in 1966 from the Law School of

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

. After serving ten years as a district governor in several places, he was promoted to the undersecretary post at the Ministry of Customs and Monopoly. Zeybek worked then four years long as a coordinator in the private sector. In 1987, he entered politics and was elected Deputy of Istanbul into the parliament from the Motherland Party. Between 1989 and 1991, he served as the Minister of Culture in the cabinets of

Turgut Özal Halil Turgut Özal (13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, bureaucrat, engineer and statesman who served as the eighth president of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th prime minister of Turkey from 1983 ...

and

Yıldırım Akbulut Yıldırım Akbulut (; 2 September 1935 – 14 April 2021) was a Turkish politician, who was a leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP), the Prime Minister of Turkey, and twice the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. A lawyer by pr ...

. During his tenure, the festivities of

Newroz Newroz () is the Kurdish celebration of Nowruz; the arrival of spring and new year in Kurdish culture. The lighting of the fires at the beginning of the evening of March 20 is the main symbol of Newroz among the Kurds. In Zoroastrianism, fire i ...

were allowed in 1991. Later in 1996, Zeybek was appointed again minister in the coalition cabinet of

Necmettin Erbakan Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was la ...

. In 2007, Namık Kemal Zeybek joined the

Great Union Party The Great Unity Party (, BBP) is a far-right Sunni Islamist and ultranationalist political party in Turkey. It was created on 29 January 1993 by Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, who broke off from the Nationalist Task Party (predecessor of the modern ...

, and became its secretary general for a short time. In 2010, he entered the Democratic Party. At the 10th party congress held on January 15, 2011 in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, he was elected leader of its party.

References

1944 births Living people People from Bayburt Ankara University Faculty of Law alumni Turkish jurists Turkish civil servants Democrat Party (Turkey, current) politicians Government ministers of Turkey Leaders of political parties in Turkey Ministers of culture of Turkey Deputies of Istanbul Members of the 20th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 54th government of Turkey Ministers of state of Turkey {{Turkey-politician-stub