438:(ANAP). During his first term as mayor, he expanded city to north by planning a modern residential district to house 200 thousand residents. He named this district as Yeni Adana (New Adana). He constructed Adnan Menderes Boulevard along the south shores of Seyhan Reservoir and built parks, picnic areas around it. Adnan Menderes Boulevard then became the main recreational area for the city. He built Regülatör Köprü on Seyhan river south of the old town, a bridge which also acts as a regulator of river water. This caused the part of the river, that is within the city limits, to be full all year around. The river which used to partially dry and have odour in summer times, revitalized and became the core recreational area of the city. During this term, he also founded municipal-owned not-for-profit construction company which built thousands of homes for low-income residents.
504:(MHP). This election was one of his most difficult elections and although being a candidate of the third popular party, his high profile helped him win the elections with only 1,500 vote margin against governing AK Party candidate. For his 5th term, Durak promised to complete urban redevelopment projects for Sinanpaşa, Göl and Fatih neighborhoods, and building the second line for Metro which would extend from Sinanpaşa to
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558:Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region, is separated with high mountains from other regions and resembles more like a state of its own. Although, the economical and cultural issues that communities in Çukurova face are similar, interrelations among the communities were poor. Durak with other mayors of the region wanted to improve co-operation among the communities of
461:, most scenic part of the recreational pathway between the old and the new dam. He renovated Atatürk Park and many other parks, built new recreational areas on the northern section of the city. He continued building infrastructure to expand city to north. The construction of Adana Metro, 13.5 km long rapid transit system, started in 1997.
449:. This was due to the partisan municipal election system in Turkey. His party ANAP was the governing party, but became very unpopular during this time. To protest the governing party, voters chose opposition parties' candidates during the municipal elections without considering candidates' individual skills.
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Aytaç Durak is famed in Turkey, for avoiding kissing men when greeting. In greeting traditions of Turkey, men shake hands and kiss each other on both cheeks. During the long greeting ceremonies of political parties, Durak considers kissing each member unhealthy and time consuming. He prefers to just
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One of his major concerns as TBB president was the partisan municipal election system. He criticized the current system for creating dependency to national politics. Almost all the time, mayor of a municipality is chosen among the candidates of the national parties. Independent candidacy is possible,
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of 27 March 1994 Durak was re-elected as mayor of Adana again representing ANAP, this time voters focusing on candidates' skills by comparing his term to
Selahattin Çolak's term. At this term, he started building recreational pathways on both banks of Seyhan river from south end to Seyhan Reservoir.
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At the mean time, he became the member of Adana
Chamber of Commerce. He completed compulsory military service at Ankara-Mamak War Institute and Military Research and Development Agency. Later in his life, he founded a construction company (Durak İnşaat) with his 2 civil engineer brothers and, during
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and became a minor party after. On 28 March 2004, he was re-elected as mayor of Adana for the fourth term receiving 39% of popular votes. During this period, he completed the construction of the Merkez Park and many other parks, thus, city became much greener. The construction of Adana Metro was
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along Seyhan river, which is now one of the largest urban parks in Turkey. At this period, he also started building public pools for safe swimming mostly at low-income neighborhoods due the fact that nearly 100 children suffocate every year when chilling out at Seyhan river and irrigation canals
550:. Before 2009 elections, Durak lobbied at the national level for change in the municipal election system. He proposed an election system where all the candidates have to run independently without representing any political party; a system that is used in many western countries.
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On 17 March 2010, Aytaç Durak resigned from MHP until being cleared from allegations for fortune building by raising the land value of his family property. On 28 March Aytaç Durak is suspended from mayoral duties by
Ministry of Internal Affairs for two months.
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Aytaç Durak is the only politician to have run in all the municipal elections since 1973; twice as councillor, six times as mayoral candidate, losing only once in the 1989 mayoral race. He is regarded as the doyen of Turkey's local politics.
569:. Regular internal education seminars are held throughout the region. Organized with the support of the municipalities, region-wide cultural events became common. Çukurova Art Days is a four-day festival that takes place throughout
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During his presidency of TBB, he went to court for the unequal municipal taxation law. With the old municipal tax law, the corporates used to pay municipal taxes at the location of their headquarters which are mainly in
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suspended during this period due to financial reasons. Construction resumed in 2008 and expected to be completed by the end of 2009. Metro that is under construction for 12 years is the major headache for Aytaç Durak.
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mayor in 1994, he was elected again as the president of the Union of
Municipalities of Turkey. He held the title until April'09, when he was removed from the post by Ministry of Internal Affairs. Durak and his party
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Durak is married to Türkan Durak and has two children. His son, Gökhan Durak, who is also a civil engineer, runs a local television (Çukurova TV) in Adana. His daughter has a degree in landscape architecture.
542:. This caused lack of revenue for other cities. The court found municipal taxation system was not fair and the parliament changed the law, which made a better distribution of municipal revenue among cities.
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In 1987, Durak was elected the president of TBB, an agency to build co-operation among municipalities. He left this position in 1989, due to not being re-elected as mayor of Adana. After his election as
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in 1938 to a middle-class merchant family. He was the second eldest of the six siblings. He completed his primary education (Grade 1-5) at Gazipaşa Public School, secondary education at
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in 1977 he was re-elected and also acted as the speaker of the
Justice Party at the council. He served two terms as elected councillor and removed from the council by
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in 1963, after starting his career at DSİ, he was appointed as Adana municipal councillor representing DSİ. After two terms as appointed
Municipal Councillor, in the
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562:. Çukurova Municipalities Union was incorporated in 1997 to be a voice of the local governments in the region. Durak was elected the first president of ÇBB.
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as
Drinking Water Chief of Adana. In 1965, he was appointed as YSE (Road-Water-Electric Agency now called Rural Services) Director for Adana Province.
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During the years that he was at the council, he formed the ideas that will later revolutionize the cityscape; expanding city to north and revitalizing
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between 1984 and 2014, excluding one term (1989–1994). He is the longest serving locally elected city mayor in Turkey. Adding his 17 years as a
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during the hot and humid summers. Currently city boasts 35 municipal swimming pools built only within the last 10 years.
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protested removal, stating that presidency ends naturally at Union's
Directors' Elections by not being re-elected.
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on 12 September 1980, with all the other politicians in Turkey. Municipal democracy was suspended until 1984.
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Durak likes spending his summer leisure times with his grand children at his cottage in Kızıldağ plateau of
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After 12 years as the president of ÇBB, Durak did not run again in the 2009 General
Assembly. Mayor of
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but very difficult to succeed; the only independent winner of a city in 2009 was Eşref Fakıbaba of
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Aytaç Durak focused on improving the municipal governing skills of all the municipal staff in
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in 1999 representing ANAP for the third term. At this term he started the construction of
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In late 2008, AK Party decided not to make Aytaç Durak their candidate for the
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Middle School (Grade 6-8) and at Adana Lycee for Boys (Grade 9-11). He studied
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500:. Following immediately, Durak resigned from AK Party and joined
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on 25 March 1984, Durak was elected mayor of Adana representing
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
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488:(AK Party). ANAP had only 5.1% of the popular votes in the
612:. He frequently attends theaters and music concerts.
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the 1970s and early 1980s, he built over 2000 homes.
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Ramazanoğlu Tevfik Kadri Bey (1906-1908)(1918-1919)
1126:Justice and Development Party (Turkey) politicians
516:President of Municipalities Union of Turkey (TBB)
422:and building large recreational areas around it.
323:(born 1938) is a Turkish politician, and was the
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554:President of Çukurova Municipalities Union (ÇBB)
650:(in Turkish). Cihan News Agency. Archived from
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484:of 2004, Durak resigned from ANAP and joined
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407:and elected as municipal councillor. In the
875:Hacızade Ali Efendi (Yerdelen) (1899-1903)
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584:, is elected the second president of ÇBB.
464:Durak was re-elected to the office in the
441:Although having a successful term, in the
56:about living persons that is unsourced or
857:Abdülkadir Efendi Bağdadizade (1883-1884)
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
866:Ramazanoğlu Kasım (Ener) Bey (1890-1891)
863:Sırkıntılı Hacı Musa Efendi (1886-1888)
1136:Nationalist Movement Party politicians
1083:
869:Debbağzade Hacı Ali Efendi (1891-1895)
734:"Ankara'nın icrasına Adana'dan itiraz"
210:25 March 1984 – 26 March 1989
168:27 March 1994 – 30 March 2014
1121:Motherland Party (Turkey) politicians
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1141:Istanbul Technical University alumni
842:Gözlüklü Süleyman Efendi (1870-1877)
648:"Adana'da bu sene 3 boğulma yaşandı"
18:
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339:Municipalities Union for 12 years.
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1111:Justice Party (Turkey) politicians
878:Ramazanoğlu Süphi Paşa (1903-1906)
714:from the original on 31 March 2010
684:from the original on 22 March 2010
14:
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978:(1954-1955)(1959-1960)(1963-1967)
887:Süleyman Vahid Efendi (1913-1915)
425:
379:He started his career in 1963 at
251:1963 – 12 September 1980
1131:21st-century Turkish politicians
1116:20th-century Turkish politicians
872:İbrahim Rasih Efendi (1895-1899)
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445:of 1989, Durak lost his post to
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896:Şıh Garipzade Kemal (1921-1922)
893:Hafız Mahmud Efendi (1920-1921)
604:to watch the football games of
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899:Diblanzade Mehmet Fuat (1922)
636:. Greater Adana Municipality.
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486:Justice and Development Party
457:He gave special attention to
369:Istanbul Technical University
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860:Ahmet Tevfik Bey (1884-1886)
34:biography of a living person
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61:must be removed immediately
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884:Murtaza Efendi (1908-1913)
704:"Aytaç Durak açığa alındı"
674:"Aytaç Durak istifa etti)"
502:Nationalist Movement Party
391:Adana Municipal Councillor
381:State Hydraulic Works(DSİ)
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851:Sinyor Artin (1879-1881)
498:2009 municipal elections
401:1973 municipal elections
351:Aytaç Durak was born in
1146:Turkish civil engineers
916:Alimünif Bey (Yeğenağa)
839:Sait Efendi (1868-1870)
634:"Aytaç Durak Biography"
600:. He regularly goes to
1050:(1984-1989)(1994-2010)
1032:(1977-1980)(1989-1994)
490:2002 general elections
48:Please help by adding
1106:People from Karaisalı
988:Mehmet Hilmi İncesulu
890:Cemal Bey (1915-1918)
854:Hacı Yunus Ağa (1881)
922:Turhan Cemal Beriker
333:municipal councillor
240:Municipal Councillor
54:Contentious material
1030:M. Selahattin Çolak
506:Çukurova University
454:municipal elections
432:municipal elections
371:from 1957 to 1963.
928:Yusuf Ziya Özbakan
759:Political offices
482:municipal election
443:municipal election
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1042:Ali Ahmet Kelecek
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738:İdealist Gazetesi
365:civil engineering
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37:needs additional
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982:Ali Bozdoğanoğlu
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447:Selahattin Çolak
436:Motherland Party
260:Personal details
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231:Selahattin Çolak
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179:Selahattin Çolak
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602:5 Ocak Stadium
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72:Find sources:
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16:Turkish mayor
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1036:Nuri Korkmaz
1000:Talat Sungur
964:Numan Güreli
772:
742:. Retrieved
740:(in Turkish)
737:
728:
716:. Retrieved
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686:. Retrieved
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658:10 September
656:. Retrieved
652:the original
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573:since 2007.
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420:Seyhan River
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355:district of
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226:Succeeded by
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186:Succeeded by
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43:verification
36:
1096:1938 births
1062:(2014-2019)
1056:(2010-2014)
1048:Aytaç Durak
1044:(1981-1984)
1038:(1980-1981)
1026:(1973-1977)
1024:Ege Bagatur
1020:(1967-1973)
1014:(1960-1963)
1006:Gafur Soylu
996:(1958-1959)
990:(1956-1958)
984:(1955-1956)
972:(1951-1954)
970:Zahit Akdağ
954:(1947-1950)
952:Hazım Savcı
948:(1946-1947)
942:(1938-1946)
934:Vedat Güçlü
924:(1926-1938)
918:(1922-1926)
848:(1877-1879)
582:Macit Özcan
480:Before the
470:Merkez Park
413:coup d'état
321:Aytaç Durak
216:Preceded by
174:Preceded by
145:Aytaç Durak
117:August 2023
1085:Categories
976:Ali Sepici
946:Fazlı Meto
940:Kasım Ener
907:Republican
822:Mayors of
778:1994–2014
620:References
474:urban park
347:Early life
307:Occupation
87:newspapers
744:29 August
606:Adanaspor
598:Karaisalı
548:Şanlıurfa
353:Karaisalı
271:Karaisalı
247:In office
206:In office
164:In office
39:citations
718:28 March
712:Archived
688:17 March
682:Archived
678:Milliyet
571:Çukurova
567:Çukurova
560:Çukurova
536:Istanbul
337:Çukurova
297:AK Party
65:libelous
1068:(2019-)
831:Ottoman
708:Radikal
452:In the
430:In the
395:In the
361:Tepebağ
101:scholar
1008:(1960)
1002:(1960)
966:(1950)
960:(1950)
936:(1938)
930:(1938)
578:Mersin
540:Ankara
375:Career
279:Turkey
103:
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82:
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824:Adana
523:Adana
329:Adana
325:mayor
275:Adana
238:Adana
108:JSTOR
94:books
32:This
746:2009
720:2010
690:2010
660:2009
608:and
538:and
293:ANAP
268:1938
265:Born
80:news
41:for
909:Era
833:Era
528:MHP
367:at
327:of
301:MHP
1087::
736:.
706:.
676:.
580:,
508:.
299:,
295:,
291:,
289:AP
277:,
273:,
52:.
815:e
808:t
801:v
748:.
722:.
692:.
662:.
130:)
124:(
119:)
115:(
105:·
98:·
91:·
84:·
67:.
46:.
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