Süleyman Soylu

Süleyman Soylu (born 21 November 1969) is a Turkish politician. He is a deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party who currently serves as the Minister of the Interior since 31 August 2016. He previously served as the Minister of Labour and Social Security from November 2015 to August 2016. He is a former leader of the Democrat Party (DP).

Süleyman Soylu
Minister of the Interior
Assumed office
31 August 2016
PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime MinisterBinali Yıldırım
Preceded byEfkan Ala
Minister of Labour and Social Security
In office
24 November 2015 – 31 August 2016
Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu
Binali Yıldırım
Preceded byAhmet Erdem
Succeeded byMehmet Müezzinoğlu
Deputy Leader of the Justice and Development Party
Assumed office
30 September 2012
LeaderRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ahmet Davutoğlu
Binali Yıldırım
Member of the Grand National Assembly
In office
7 July 2018 – 10 July 2018
ConstituencyIstanbul (II) (2018)
In office
7 June 2015 – 7 July 2018
ConstituencyTrabzon (June 2015, Nov 2015)
Leader of the Democrat Party
In office
6 January 2008 – 16 May 2009
Preceded byMehmet Ağar
Succeeded byHüsamettin Cindoruk
Personal details
Born (1969-11-21) 21 November 1969
Istanbul, Turkey
NationalityTurkish
Political partyTrue Path Party (1987–2002)
Democrat (2007–09)
Justice and Development Party (2011–present)
Spouse(s)Hamdiye Soylu
Children2
Cabinet64th, 65th
Signature
Websitehttps://suleymansoylu.com

Soylu was appointed as the Interior Minister after the surprise resignation of Efkan Ala, with Soylu commenting that his appointment 'came as a surprise' to him as well.[1]

Soylu was known for his divisive style, often accusing the opposition of 'siding with terrorists' and imposing restrictive measures on opposition-controlled municipalities.[2][3] His re-appointment as Interior Minister after Erdoğan's election victory in 2018 was protested by opposition parties, whose MPs turned their backs as Soylu took the oath of office in Parliament.[4] He removed large numbers of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) mayors from their offices due to their apparent affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), for which he received positive though muted responses from some nationalist opposition politicians.[5]

Early life and business career

Süleyman Soylu was born in Istanbul on 21 November 1969. He graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Management.[6] He started business career in Istanbul Stock Exchange in 1990.[7]

Political career

Democrat Party

He started politics at Democrat Party (DP) Istanbul Youth Branch in 1987. He took the positions of member of board of directorates, and chairman of the organization at youth branch of Democrat Party Istanbul.

In 1995, he was elected to the board of directorates in Gaziosmanpaşa branch, and with the congress held on 17 July 1995, he was elected as the chairman of the district at the age of 25. On 18 April 1999, he announced his candidacy for the mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa municipality which is district of Istanbul.

He became DP Istanbul Chairman on 29 April 1999 which made him the youngest chairman in the Turkey at that time. He resigned from the presidency, which lasted 3.5 years, to run for the elections to become a Member of the Parliament of Turkey in 2002. Süleyman Soylu was elected for party leadership with the 4th Extraordinary Congress of Democrat Party on 6 January 2008. After being reelected for the leadership at the 9th Statutory Congress on 15 November 2008, he led his party for 29 March 2009 local elections. On 16 May 2009, at the congress, which took place according to his will, his party leadership ended.[8]

Afterwards, he participated in many conferences and panels upon invitations coming from various universities and civil societies all over the country.

Süleyman Soylu realized the vital importance of the change of constitution package, which was opened for referendum of 12 September 2010 for the transition and democratization of Turkey, organized a series of seminars with the title of “Democracy meetings”, and together with his friends by travelling all around Turkey, shared grounds for voting “yes”. Following these activities, he was expelled from his party.[9]

Justice and Development Party

Soylu was invited to be an AKP politician by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then AKP Chairman and Prime Minister. Soylu joined the AKP on 5 September 2012.[10] On 30 September 2012, with the 4th Statutory General Congress of AKP, he was elected for the Central Board of Executives, and became Deputy Chairman responsible for R&D Department.

He served as 'Minister of Labour and Social Security' in the third Davutoğlu Cabinet (24 November 2015 – 24 May 2016) and in the Yıldırım Cabinet until 31 August 2016. Then, PM Yıldırım surprisingly appointed him Minister of the Interior after he had sacked Efkan Ala.

Resignation from the Ministry

On 10 April 2020, the Turkish government announced that a 48-hour curfew will be imposed in 31 cities due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced approximately 2 or 3 hours before the start of the curfew and caused a panic buying.[11] On 12 April 2020, Soylu announced his resignation, saying he was responsible for that chaos.[12] However, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rejected his resignation request.[13][14] Before Erdoğan's rejection of the resignation, the hashtag "We don't accept the resignation,” #İstifayıKabulEtmiyoruz, quickly became a top trend on Twitter following the resignation of Soylu, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) favourite among supporters. [15]

References
  1. Hürriyet online: İçişleri Bakanı Süleyman Soylu: Benim için de sürpriz oldu
  2. "CHP spokesperson slams minister over terror accusations - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News.
  3. "Süleyman Soylu'dan Ekrem İmamoğlu'na hakaret". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr.
  4. "Süleyman Soylu yemin ederken CHP'liler arkasını döndü".
  5. Haber, Internet (20 August 2019). "HDP'li belediye başkanlarının görevden alınması! Süleyman Soylu'dan ilk açıklama". https://www.internethaber.com/hdpli-belediye-baskanlarinin-gorevden-alinmasi-suleyman-soyludan-ilk-aciklama-2044472h.htm. External link in |website= (help)
  6. "Süleyman Soylu kimdir? Süleyman Soylu kaç yaşında ve aslen nerelidir?" (in Turkish). Sözcü. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. "Süleyman Soylu kimdir?" (in Turkish). Cumhuriyet. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  8. "DP seeks new leader after Soylu announces resignation". Today's Zaman. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  9. "Democrat Party to expel former leader, yea-sayer Soylu". Today's Zaman. 9 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  10. "Former Democrat Party leader joins ruling AKP". Today's Zaman. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  11. "Turkey Imposes 48-Hour Coronavirus Curfew In Major Cities With Little Warning". npr.org. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  12. "İçişleri Bakanı Süleyman Soylu istifa etti". Milliyet (in Turkish). 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  13. "İçişleri Bakanı Süleyman Soylu'nun istifa açıklamasına ilişkin duyuru". Directorate of Communications (in Turkish). 11 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  14. "Announcement regarding Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu's resignation statement". wt.iletisim.gov.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  15. "Turkish President Erdoğan rejects Interior Minister's resignation". Ahval. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
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