Yilmaz, A Mesut (1947– )

Turkish politician, prime minister in 1991, 1996, and from 1997. He rose to power through a number of ministerial posts 1986–1990 and became leader of the right-of-centre Motherland Party (ANAP) in 1991.

Yilmaz was born in Istanbul and educated in Ankara, London, and Cologne. He followed a business career before entering politics and joined the Islamic ANAP, founded in 1983 by Turgut Ozal.

He was appointed prime minister by President Ozal in 1991. However, dissatisfaction with the state of the economy lowered ANAP's popularity and Yilmaz's government was replaced, within a year of his taking office, by a centre-right coalition led by the True Path Party (DYP). The DYP coalition collapsed in September 1995 and after five months of negotiation a new coalition was agreed in February 1996, with the premiership rotating between Yilmaz and the DYP leader Tansu Ciller. In May 1996 the DYP withdrew from the coalition and Yilmaz continued as prime minister. In June 1996 Yilmaz's government was replaced by a new coalition of the pro-Islamic Welfare Party (RP) and the DYP, Necmettin Erbakan becoming prime minister. In June 1997 Yilmaz returned to power as prime minister for the third time.