President Erdogan honors Alparslan Turkes on 27th death anniversary
Erdogan commemorates the 27th anniversary of Alparslan Turkes' demise with prayers and carnations at his tomb in Ankara
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid homage to the memory of the 27th anniversary of the MHP Founding President Alparslan Turkes at his tomb in Bestepe, Ankara, Türkiye on April 4, 2024.
President Erdogan, accompanied by AK Party Ankara Deputy Yildirim Tugrul Turkes, the son of the late Alparslan Turkes, recited prayers at the monument.
Following the prayers, President Erdogan placed red and white carnations on Turkes' grave.
Also, accompanying President Erdogan during the visit were AK Party General Secretary Fatih Sahin and MHP Deputy Chairperson Mevlut Karakaya.
Alparslan Turkes, leader of Turkish Nationalist ideology
Turkes joined the Republican Peasants' Nation Party and became a member of parliament in 1965. In 1969, at the party congress in Adana, the name of the party was changed to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), with a three-crescent emblem.
Turkes was elected as the party's leader, earning the title "Başbuğ" (Chief) among nationalists. During the 1970s, he participated in coalitions, including the National Front governments with Süleyman Demirel and Necmettin Erbakan.
Following the military coup on September 12, 1980, all political parties, including the MHP, were banned. Turkes was detained for four and a half years. He awaited the 1987 referendum for a return to politics.
After lifting his political ban, he assumed leadership of the Nationalist Labor Party.
Alparslan Turkes passed away at 80 on April 4, 1997, due to a heart attack, marking the end of an era of Turkish nationalism.
