Sebahattin Öztürk (born 1 July 1962) is a
Turkish politician, civil servant and bureaucrat who served as the
Minister of the Interior of Turkey between March and August 2015. Previously the Undersecretary to the Interior Ministry since 2014, he took over as Minister from
Justice and Development Party politician
Efkan Ala three months prior to the
June 2015 general election, as required by Article 114 of the
Turkish Constitution. He is, formally, of no political affiliation.
Early life and career
Öztürk was born in
Çaykara, a district in
Trabzon Province
Trabzon Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 4,628 km2, and its population is 818,023 (2022). Located in a strategic ...
in 1962. Graduating from
Istanbul University
Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
Faculty of Political Science and Public Governance in 1986, Öztürk successfully completed an exam to become a ''
Kaymakam
Kaymakam, also known by #Names, many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been reta ...
'' (a sub-governor of a
provincial district) in 1987. He learnt English at
Brighton University
The University of Brighton is a public university based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992.
Th ...
in the United Kingdom before beginning his term as a Kaymakam of the
Osmangazi
Osmangazi is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 621 km2, and its population is 891,250 (2022). It is one of the central metropolitan districts of the city of Bursa, as well as the fourth largest overall muni ...
district of
Bursa Province
Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...
in 1990. While serving in this capacity, he was appointed as the Governor of
NiÄŸde Province
NiÄŸde Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in the southern part of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Its area is 7,234 km2, and its population is 365,419 (2022) of which 170,511 live in the city of NiÄŸde. The population was 348,081 in 200 ...
in 2007, serving until 2009 where he was restationed as the Governor of
Erzurum Province. Serving in this capacity until 2013, he was restationed for a second time as the Governor of
Antalya
Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...
, serving for a year until 16 September 2014.
He is married and has two children.
Minister of the Interior
On 15 September 2014, he was appointed as the Undersecretary to the Interior Ministry, vacating his position as Governor of Antalya for this reason. With the Constitution requiring that the serving partisan Minister should vacate his position to his or her Undersecretary at least three months before a general election, Öztürk took over from Efkan Ala as Minister of the Interior on 7 March 2015 and is due to serve until a new government is formed after the election. The other ministers who replaced partisan ministers due to the constitutional requirement were
Kenan İpek, who replaced
Bekir BozdaÄŸ as the
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
and
Feridun Bilgin, replacing
Lütfi Elvan as the
Transport, Maritime and Communications Minister.
Despite being the Minister of the Interior, it was alleged that Efkan Ala continued as the de facto Minister despite resigning in March, working directly with President
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
behind closed doors to secure necessary preparations for the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) in time for the 2015 general election. Such preparations apparently included an allegedly staged operation in
Ağrı Province
Ağrı Province () is located in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran to the east and the Provinces of Turkey, provinces of Kars Province, Kars to the north, Erzurum Province, Erzurum to the northwest, Muş Province, Muş and Bitlis Province, Bitlis to ...
against the Kurdish separatist
PKK organisation in order to increase the AKP's popularity.
Labour Day protests
On 1 May 2015, he was criticised for endorsing and committing to carry out a series of decisions made by the Governor of
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
in relation to the planned
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...
protests in
Taksim Square. The police response to Labour day protests in Turkey have been accused of being notoriously heavy-handed, with the government taking the decision to close of Taksim Square entirely in preparation for Labour Day 2015.
See also
*
62nd Government of Turkey
External links
Biography of the Minister from the Ministry of the Interior
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozturk, Sebahattin
Living people
1962 births
People from Çaykara
Governors of Antalya
Erzurum Province
NiÄŸde Province
Ministers of the interior of Turkey
Istanbul University alumni