Suleyman Demirel, one of the dominant figures in Turkey’s politics for over half a century, has died, according to the state Anatolia news agency.
He died at 2:05am on Wednesday at Ankara’s Guven Hospital of heart failure and a respiratory tract infection, doctors at the hospital said in an announcement broadcast on Turkish television.
He was 90.
Demirel’s wife, Nazmiye, died in May 2013. The couple had no children.
He was prime minister several times in the 1960s and 1970s before serving as president from 1993 to 2000. Two of his governments ended in overthrow by military coups.
Demirel believed that his governments of the 1960s and 1970s deserved much of the credit for a deep transformation of Turkey’s economy and society, which saw a largely agrarian society transformed into an increasingly industrial and urban one, bringing higher living standards for most Turks.
But critics say Demirel symbolised a culture in which power came before principles, and helped entrench patronage and corruption.
They point to a “family photograph,” which pictured Demirel surrounded by relatives and associates from the business world – some of whom were later jailed for corruption. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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