This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
The Prime Ministry served as the highest administrative authority of the executive branch in the governance system of the Republic of Türkiye, having been established de facto during the Ankara Government period in 1920 and formally incorporated into the state apparatus upon the proclamation of the Republic in 1923. As head of government, the Prime Minister chaired the Council of Ministers, coordinated between ministries, was responsible for implementing the government’s overall policy, and oversaw the compliance of ministers with the Constitution and laws. According to Article 112 of the 1982 Constitution, the Prime Minister also had the authority to propose to the President the dismissal of ministers and held a central position within the administrative structure as the supreme authority over ministries.
The Prime Ministry occupied the core of the state’s executive powers, and the effectiveness of state administration was largely shaped by the functioning of the government. Its organizational structure and areas of responsibility expanded over time, assuming the role of a key administrative unit by coordinating public services, implementing government policies, and overseeing services encompassing numerous ministries related to the state’s general policy. It also played decisive roles in coordinating the information society, digital transformation, and e-government initiatives.
However, following the constitutional amendment referendum held on 16 April 2017, the Republic of Türkiye transitioned to the Presidential System of Government, and under this systemic change, the office of Prime Minister was abolished by constitutional provision. With the regulation that came into effect on 9 July 2018, executive authority was fully transferred to the President, the Council of Ministers system was terminated, and the Prime Ministry organization was dissolved.
The state is the fundamental form of organization developed by societies throughout history, and its sustainable operation requires the presence of an institutional bureaucracy. Bureaucracy encompasses the entire state apparatus, public officials, and official correspondence. In ancient Turkish and Islamic states, the vizier, who conducted state affairs on behalf of the ruler, stood at the head of the bureaucratic structure. In Turkish culture, the khan represents courage, while the vizier embodies knowledge and wisdom. The institution of vizierate became concrete during the Göktürk period and was transmitted through Sassanid-influenced structures from the Abbasids to the Seljuks and subsequently to the Ottomans. In the Great Seljuk State, the central divan known as “Divân-ı Sultan” and its head, the “Sahib-i Divân-ı Devlet,” corresponded to the modern institutions of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Ministry.
The institutional structure of the Ottoman State was shaped under the influence of preceding Turkish-Islamic states, but these institutions evolved and matured through Ottoman practices. The Sadaret office was an important institution drawing from this tradition and reflecting the influences of earlier states, particularly in its organizational structure. The Divân, regarded as the precursor of the Sadaret, was the Ottoman Empire’s first supreme administrative, judicial, and political organ, established during the reign of Orhan Bey, with Hacı Kemaleddin’s son Alaaddin Paşa appointed as its first vizier.
During the early and middle periods of the Ottoman Empire, Divân-ı Hümâyûn functioned as the decision-making body in political, administrative, military, judicial, and financial matters. The Divân was open to all Ottoman subjects regardless of religion, ethnicity, or social class. As the highest forum for discussing the state’s economic and financial issues, Divân-ı Hümâyûn also served as the highest court in the judicial hierarchy. The Kazaskers represented Sharia law, while the Grand Vizier and other members represented customary and administrative law.
Laws and regulatory decisions were made within the Divân; four main bureaus conducted the state’s high-level politics and bureaucratic procedures: the Divân, Tahvil, Ruus, and Amedî offices. These bureaus, which recorded all central administration records except financial ones, later formed the foundation of modern government organs and the civil bureaucracy.
From the late seventeenth century onward, as state affairs shifted to the Bâbıâlî (Bâbıâsafî) center, the functions of Divân-ı Hümâyûn diminished; during the Tanzimat period, it became a symbolic institution within the Sadaret-i Uzma Dairesi (Prime Ministry).
In the Ottoman Empire, the administrator serving as the sole representative of the Sultan was called a vizier. As the number of viziers increased, the highest vizier position was designated with the title “Grand Vizier.” The Grand Vizier was the absolute representative of the Sultan, whose words and writings were considered the Sultan’s firman. The Sultan’s seal was entrusted to the Grand Vizier, who assumed responsibility for all state affairs. As president of Divân-ı Hümâyûn, the Grand Vizier deliberated and resolved second-tier state matters in his own council. From the reign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman onward, titles such as “Sadr-ı âzam,” “Sadr-ı âli,” and “Sadaret-penah” began to be used for the Grand Vizier, with “Sadrâzam” becoming predominant.
During the classical Ottoman period, the central authority of state administration was Divân-ı Hümâyûn. From the second half of the seventeenth century onward, Divân’s functions were reduced to symbolic roles such as distributing accession bonuses, paying soldiers’ salaries, and receiving ambassadors. During this period, the importance of Bâbıâlî, led by the Grand Vizier, increased. Clerks of Divân-ı Hümâyûn, beginning with the Reisülküttap, transferred to Bâbıâlî, where numerous bureaus were established under high officials such as Kethuday-ı sadr-ı âlî, Reisülküttap, and Çavuşbaşı in the new central administration.
Reforms were implemented in these bureaus before the Tanzimat; in 1835, the Sadaret Kethudalığı was restructured as the “Mülkiye Nezareti” (Ministry of the Interior), the same year the Reisülküttaplık became the “Umur-ı Hariciye Nezareti” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and in 1836, the Çavuşbaşılık was reorganized as the “Deavi Nezareti” (Ministry of Justice).
After abolishing the Janissary Corps, II. Mahmud carried out major reforms in the state apparatus, establishing the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Finance. Additionally, through a hatt-ı hümayun issued on 30 March 1838, he requested that after the last Grand Vizier Rauf Paşa, the term “Sadaret” be replaced with “Başvekâlet” and “Sadrazam” with “Başvekil.” These titles remained in use until the death of II. Mahmud in 1839, after which during the reign of Abdülmecid, Hüsrev Paşa resumed the title of Sadrazam with expanded powers.
After the proclamation of the First Constitutional Era, during the reign of II. Abdülhamid, Ahmed Vefik Paşa was offered the position of Sadaret, but he insisted that the title “Başvekil” was required by constitutional principles and assumed office under this title on 4 February 1878. Sadık Paşa also served under the same title, but shortly thereafter Mütercim Rüştü Paşa reverted to the title of Sadrazam. After the effective suspension of the Constitutional Era, the title “Başvekil” was used from 29 August 1879 to 3 December 1882, for a period of three and a half years. During this time, government heads included Said Paşa (three times), Kadri Paşa, Abdurrahman Paşa, and Ahmed Vefik Paşa.
With the establishment of the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in Ankara in 1923, the head of government held the title “İcra Vekilleri Heyeti Reisi”; upon the proclamation of the Republic, this title was formally designated as “Başvekil” in the Constitution. On 10 January 1945, this title was officially changed to “Başbakan.”
The Government Period of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) began with the opening of the TBMM on 23 April 1920 and continued until the proclamation of the Republic. During this period, executive authority was exercised through the Council of Ministers, elected from within the TBMM. Initially, a Provisional Executive Committee was established, followed by the Council of Ministers. The chairman of the Council was initially the President of the TBMM (Mustafa Kemal Paşa); from 1921 onward, he was elected by secret ballot among members of the Assembly. Government members were accountable to the Assembly, and various cabinets were formed and resigned throughout the period. This period, lasting until the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, established the state structure of modern Türkiye based on national sovereignty. With the proclamation of the Republic, the government system evolved into the new Prime Ministry structure.
Governments and Periods Served as President of the Council of Ministers
Governments and Periods Served as President of the Council of Ministers
Governments and Periods Served as President of the Council of Ministers
Governments and Periods Served as President of the Council of Ministers
By a decision adopted on 14 April 1923, the relationship between the President of the Council of Ministers and the Council itself was clarified, with the president sharing responsibility with the Council. Upon the proclamation of the Republic on 29 October 1923, the title “Başvekil” gained official status and the Başvekâlet organization was established. On 10 January 1945, following constitutional simplification, the term “Başbakanlık” came into use.
The Prime Ministry, as the highest executive organ of the Government of the Republic of Türkiye, chairs the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President from among members of the TBMM, forms a cabinet, and submits it for approval by the TBMM. The Prime Minister coordinates the implementation of the government program, ensures cooperation among ministries, and manages central and auxiliary service units within the Prime Ministry organization. Within the Prime Ministry, Undersecretaries, Directors of the Private Office, and various advisory and oversight units are located.
The title of Prime Minister was the official designation for the person at the head of executive authority and chair of the Council of Ministers in the Republic of Türkiye from 1923 to 2018. This office, established upon the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, was abolished by the constitutional amendment adopted in 2017.
The first Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye was İsmet İnönü (1884–1973), appointed to this position in the first Republic Government formed on 30 October 1923.
The last Prime Minister in the history of the Republic of Türkiye was Binali Yıldırım (b. 1955). Yıldırım assumed the office of Prime Minister on 24 May 2016 with the formation of the 65th Government of the Republic of Türkiye and became the final holder of the office when it was abolished with the implementation of the Presidential System of Government on 9 July 2018. Thus, the office of Prime Minister in the Republic of Türkiye has been consigned to history.
Infographic of Prime Ministers Who Served Between 1923 and 2018 – (AA)
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History
Sadaret and Divân-ı Hümâyûn in the Ottoman Period
Functions of Divân-ı Hümâyûn
Grand Vizier and His Functions
Development of Bâbıâlî and Sadaret
Prime Ministry from Tanzimat to the Republic
Government Period of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye
Presidents of the Council of Ministers
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938)
Fevzi Çakmak (1876–1950)
Hüseyin Rauf Orbay (1881–1964)
Ali Fethi Okyar (1880–1943)
Prime Ministry in the Republican Era
Prime Ministers
Mustafa İsmet İnönü (1884–1973)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Ali Fethi Okyar (1880–1943)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Mahmut Celal Bayar (1883–1986)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Dr. İbrahim Refik Saydam (1881–1942)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Mehmet Şükrü Saraçoğlu (1887–1953)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Recep Peker (1889–1950)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Hasan Hüsnü Saka (1885–1960)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Ord. Prof. Mehmet Şemsettin Günaltay (1883–1961)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Adnan Menderes (1899–1961)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Cemal Gürsel (1895–1966)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Suat Hayri Ürgüplü (1903–1981)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Süleyman Demirel (1924–2015)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Dr. İsmail Nihat Erim (1912–1980)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Ferit Melen (1906–1988)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Mehmet Naim TALU (1919–1998)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Mustafa Bülent ECEVİT (1925–2006)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Ord. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Sadi IRMAK (1904–1990)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Bülend ULUSU (1923–2015)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Turgut ÖZAL (1927–1993)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Yıldırım AKBULUT (1935–2021)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Ahmet Mesut YILMAZ (1947–2020)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Dr. Tansu ÇİLLER (1946–)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Dr. Necmettin ERBAKAN (1926–2011)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Doç. Dr. Abdullah GÜL (1950–)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN (1954–)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu (1959–)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
Prof. Dr. Binali Yıldırım (1955–)
Governments and Periods Served as Prime Minister
First and Last Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye
First Prime Minister
Last Prime Minister