1988 in Turkey

Events in the year 1988 in Turkey.

Parliament

 * 18th Parliament of Turkey

Incumbents

 * President – Kenan Evren
 * Prime Minister – Turgut Özal
 * Leader of the opposition – Erdal İnönü

Ruling party and the main opposition

 * Ruling party – Motherland Party (ANAP)
 * Main opposition – Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP)

Cabinet

 * 46th government of Turkey

January

 * 11 January – Turkey signs Council of Europe’s convention on “Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.”
 * 25 January – Turkey signs United Nations’ international convention against inhuman treatment and torture.

February

 * 1 February – Socialist Party founded.
 * 28 February – First heart transplant in Turkey (Ankara University)

April

 * 6 April – State visit of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
 * 27 April – Naim Süleymanoğlu wins three gold medals in Cardiff European Weightlifting Championships.

May

 * 29 May – Galatasaray wins the championship

June

 * 26 June – State visit of Kenan Evren to the United States.

July

 * 3 July – Second bridge over the Bosporus opens.
 * 12 July – State visit of Evren to Great Britain.

September

 * 20 September – Naim Süleymanoğlu wins gold in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

October

 * 16 October – State visit of Evren to West Germany.
 * 22 October - Esat Oktay Yıldıran was assassinated by PKK.

November

 * 20 November – Suat Atalık gains the title Grandmaster in Chess Olympiad.

December

 * 3 December – Council of Higher Education, the highest body of Turkish universities, lifts ban against Islamic-style head scarves for female university students.
 * 8 December – Constitutional Court rejects request by chief prosecutor to close down Socialist Party.
 * 16 December – State visit of Turgut Özal to the United States.

Births

 * 5 January – Ziya Erdal, footballer
 * 8 January – Burcu Erbaş, basketball player
 * 2 February – Turgut Doğan Şahin, footballer
 * 10 April – Özgürcan Özcan, footballer
 * 1 May – Tuğçe Şahutoğlu, hammer thrower
 * 11 May – Tuğçe Hocaoğlu, volleyball player
 * 31 May – Didem Ege, volleyball player
 * 8 June – Begüm Dalgalar – basketball player
 * 13 July – Neriman Özsoy, volleyball player
 * 7 September – Yağmur Koçyiğit, volleyball player
 * 26 September – Servet Tazegül, taekwondo practitioner
 * 28 September – Bahar Çağlar, basketball player
 * 15 October – Mesut Özil, footballer

Deaths

 * 8 January – Duygu Aykal (born 1943), ballerina
 * 21 January – Cemal Reşit Eyüpoğlu (born 1906), lawyer, politician and journalist
 * 24 March – Turhan Feyzioğlu (born 1922), lawyer, politician
 * 18 April – Oktay Rifat (born 1914), novelist
 * 1 May – Altan Erbulak (born 1929), caricaturist, theatre actor
 * 31 May – Lütfi Akadlı (born 1902), lawyer
 * 3 September – Ferit Melen (born 1906), former prime minister (35th government of Turkey)
 * 29 September – Sıtkı Yırcalı (born 1908), politician