Vecdi Gönül
Encyclopedia
Mehmet Vecdi Gönül is Minister of Defence of Turkey
and Member of Parliament for Kocaeli
.
in 1960 and returned to Erzincan as a civil servant. He completed a master's degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California
and then returned to a career in public administration in Turkey, eventually becoming security chief and then governor of Kocaeli
, Ankara
(during the 1980 Turkish coup d'état) and Istanbul
provinces. In the mid-80s he was governor of Izmir
where he is remembered for a large project of road-building and the construction of Adnan Menderes Airport
. Gönül eventually became president of the Public Spending Authority (Sayıştay), the country's highest authority on public finance.
Gönül was elected to the Turkish parliament for Kocaeli on 18 April 1999, and was part of the vanguard of the incumbent AKP
. When Tayyip Erdoğan was barred from entering parliament, he became a candidate for party leadership, and later a candidate for the presidency.
He became Minister of National Defence on 19 November 2002, serving at this post until 6 July 2011.
Vecdi Gönül is married and has 3 children]. He speaks English and Arabic.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Member of Parliament for Kocaeli
Izmit
İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 294.875...
.
Biography
Gönül's father, Saffet, was a teacher in Military high schools. His mother's name was Lütfiye. He graduated in political science from Ankara UniversityAnkara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
in 1960 and returned to Erzincan as a civil servant. He completed a master's degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and then returned to a career in public administration in Turkey, eventually becoming security chief and then governor of Kocaeli
Izmit
İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 294.875...
, Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
(during the 1980 Turkish coup d'état) and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
provinces. In the mid-80s he was governor of Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
where he is remembered for a large project of road-building and the construction of Adnan Menderes Airport
Adnan Menderes Airport
İzmir Adnan Menderes International Airport is an airport serving İzmir and is named after former Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes. It is located in the Gaziemir area of İzmir....
. Gönül eventually became president of the Public Spending Authority (Sayıştay), the country's highest authority on public finance.
Gönül was elected to the Turkish parliament for Kocaeli on 18 April 1999, and was part of the vanguard of the incumbent AKP
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
. When Tayyip Erdoğan was barred from entering parliament, he became a candidate for party leadership, and later a candidate for the presidency.
He became Minister of National Defence on 19 November 2002, serving at this post until 6 July 2011.
Vecdi Gönül is married and has 3 children]. He speaks English and Arabic.