Vecdi Gönül
Vecdi Gönül | |
|---|---|
| Minister of National Defense | |
| In office 3 July 2015 – 17 November 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Ahmet Davutoğlu |
| Preceded by | İsmet Yılmaz |
| Succeeded by | İsmet Yılmaz |
| In office 18 November 2002 – 6 July 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Abdullah Gül Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Sabahattin Çakmakoğlu |
| Succeeded by | İsmet Yılmaz |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 18 April 1999 – 7 June 2015 | |
| Constituency | Kocaeli (1999, 2002) İzmir (II) (2007) Antalya (2011) |
| Governor of İzmir | |
| In office 10 February 1984 – 11 January 1988 | |
| President | Kenan Evren |
| Preceded by | Hüseyin Öğütçen |
| Succeeded by | Nevzat Ayaz |
| Governor of Ankara | |
| In office 15 December 1979 – 27 October 1980 | |
| President | Fahri Korutürk Kenan Evren |
| Preceded by | Tekin Alp |
| Succeeded by | Mustafa Gönül |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 November 1939 Erzincan, Turkey |
| Political party | AK Party (de facto) Independent (de jure) |
| Spouse | Sevgi Gönül |
| Alma mater | Ankara University University of Southern California |
| Cabinet | 58th, 59th, 60th, 62nd, 63rd |
Mehmet Vecdi Gönül (pronounced [vedʒdi ˈɟœnyl]; born 29 November 1939) is a Turkish politician who served as the Minister of National Defense from 3 July to 17 November 2015. He previously served in the same position from 2002 to 2011 and was a member of the Parliament from 1999 to 2015.
Gönül first entered Parliament following the 1999 general election for Kocaeli from the Islamist Virtue Party (FP). He joined the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001 when the FP was shut down and was re-elected as an AKP MP from Kocaeli in the 2002 general election. He became minister of national defence in the government of Abdullah Gül and continued in his position when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took over as prime minister in March 2003. He was re-elected as an MP, this time from İzmir's second electoral district, in the 2007 general election and again from Antalya in 2011. In Erdoğan's third cabinet, he was succeeded as national defense minister by İsmet Yılmaz.
Due to the AKP's three term limit, Gönül stepped down from Parliament at the June 2015 general election. After serving national defense minister İsmet Yılmaz was elected as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly on 1 July 2015, Gönül was re-appointed as national defense minister by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu despite not being an MP and served in the post until 17 November 2015.