Aytekin Kotil

Aytekin Kotil (1934–1992) was a Turkish social democratic politician. He was the mayor of Istanbul being a pioneer in the municipal socialism in Turkey. He was also a member of the Turkish Parliament.

Aytekin Kotil
Mayor of Istanbul
In office
December 1977 – 12 September 1980
Preceded byAhmet İsvan
Succeeded byHakkı Akansel
Personal details
Born(1934-02-21)21 February 1934
Gündoğdu, Rize, Turkey
Died9 August 1992(1992-08-09) (aged 58)
Istanbul, Turkey
Resting placeZincirlikuyu cemetery, Istanbul
Political partyRepublican People's Party (until 12 September 1980)
Other political
affiliations		Social Democratic Populist Party
Children3
Alma materIstanbul University

Early life and education

Kotil was born in Gündoğdu, Rize, on 21 February 1934.[1] He had three brothers.[1] He was a graduate of Vefa High School, Istanbul.[2] He received a degree in law from the law faculty of Istanbul University in 1960.[1]

Career
His grave in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery

Following his graduation Kotil worked as a lawyer in Istanbul.[1] He joined the Republican People's Party (CHP) and became active in the CHP's Istanbul organization.[3] He was part of a faction consisted of those party members from the Black Sea region.[4] The group was led by Ali Topuz and included Necdet Uğur, Orhan Eyüpoğlu, Tarhan Erdem and other leading figures in the party.[4] It was the earliest supporter of Bülent Ecevit against İsmet İnönü in the election of the CHP chairmanship in 1972.[4] Kotil and Ali Topuz were ardent followers of Bülent Ecevit's left of center movement.[4]

Kotil was named as the head of the CHP's Istanbul branch in 1973.[5] He was elected as the mayor of Istanbul in the local elections held on 11 December 1977, replacing Ahmet İsvan in the post.[1][6] His slogan in the election campaign was "reachable, not a speech- but a service-generating mayor."[6] He managed to obtain 56.05% of the votes.[6] Kotil adopted a socialist approach during his tenure.[7] His term ended in September 1980 immediately after the military coup.[5] Kotil's successor in the post was Hakkı Akansel, a military general.[1]

Kotil was elected to the Parliament in the 1987 general election from the Social Democratic Populist Party.[1] In the party Kotil and Ali Topuz supported the leadership of Deniz Baykal against Erdal İnönü.[8]

Personal life and death

Kotil married in 1961 and had three children.[1] He died of liver disease in Istanbul on 9 August 1992.[1] He was buried in the Zincirlikuyu cemetery, Şişli, Istanbul.[5]

Legacy

A park in Bakırköy, Istanbul, was named after him in 1993.[1][9] In 2014 his biography was published in Turkish with the title Karadenizli Bir Politikacı: Aytekin Kotil (1934–1992).[10]

References
  1. "Aytekin Kotil kimdir" (in Turkish). Biyografi. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. Süleyman Doğan (2010). "Model Institution Vefa High School, the First School to Teach in Turkish Medium". TURAN: Stratejik Arastirmalar Merkezi. 2 (8): 52. ProQuest 1038146350.
  3. Kerem Hocaoğlu (2018). 1973 Seçimlerinde Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (MA thesis) (in Turkish). Hacettepe University. p. 121.
  4. Tunay Şendal (June 2020). "Cumhuriyet Halk Partisinde Ortanın Solu İle Başlayan Siyasal Metamorfoza Karşı İç Ve Dış Muhalefet". Tarih Ve Gelecek Dergisi (in Turkish). 6 (2): 294. doi:10.21551/jhf.731350. S2CID 225720184.
  5. Fatih Sultan Kar (31 January 2020). "Belediyeciliğin Babası Aytekin Kotil". Rizedeyiz (in Turkish). Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. Nebi Miş. "Istanbul Elections 1950-2014". Vol. 3. History of Istanbul. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  7. Hatice Kurtuluş; Şükrü Aslan (March 2016). "Üç şehir üç başkan: yeni liberal dönemde İstanbul, Ankara ve İzmir'de Sosyal Demokrat Belediyecilik Deneyimi". İ.Ü. Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi Dergisi (in Turkish) (54): 35.
  8. Haldun Cancı (1992). Party Discipline Problem in the Social Democratic Populist Party (MA thesis). Bilkent University. p. 47. ISBN 979-8-209-97671-4. ProQuest 2652592351.
  9. "Aytekin Kotil Parkı" (in Turkish). İBB. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  10. "Aytekin Kotil'in Biyografisi Anka Yayınları'ndan Çıktı". Haberler (in Turkish). 6 July 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
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