Aytekin Kotil
{{Short description|Turkish politician and lawyer (1934–1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name =
| image =
| caption =
| office = Mayor of Istanbul
| term_start = December 1977
| term_end = 12 September 1980
| predecessor = Ahmet İsvan
| successor = Hakkı Akansel
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|2|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Gündoğdu, Rize, Turkey
| death_date = {{death date and age|9 August 1992|21 February 1934|df=yes}}
| death_place = Istanbul, Turkey
| resting_place = Zincirlikuyu cemetery, Istanbul
| spouse =
| children = 3
| party = Republican People's Party (until 12 September 1980)
| nationality = Turkish
| alma_mater = Istanbul University
| otherparty = Social Democratic Populist Party
}}
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.
Early life and education
Kotil was born in Gündoğdu, Rize, on 21 February 1934. He had three brothers. He was a graduate of Vefa High School, Istanbul.{{cite journal|author=Süleyman Doğan|title=Model Institution Vefa High School, the First School to Teach in Turkish Medium|journal=TURAN: Stratejik Arastirmalar Merkezi|year=2010|volume=2|issue=8|page=52|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1038146350|id={{ProQuest|1038146350}}}} He received a degree in law from the law faculty of Istanbul University in 1960.
Career
Following his graduation Kotil worked as a lawyer in Istanbul. He joined the Republican People's Party (CHP) and became active in the CHP's Istanbul organization.{{cite thesis|author=Kerem Hocaoğlu |title=1973 Seçimlerinde Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi|page=121
|url=https://acikbilim.yok.gov.tr/handle/20.500.12812/436108|location=Hacettepe University|degree=MA|year=2018|language=tr}} He was part of a faction consisted of those party members from the Black Sea region.{{cite journal|author=Tunay Şendal|journal=Tarih Ve Gelecek Dergisi|date=June 2020|volume=6|issue=2|page=294|doi=10.21551/jhf.731350|language=tr|title=Cumhuriyet Halk Partisinde Ortanın Solu İle Başlayan Siyasal Metamorfoza Karşı İç Ve Dış Muhalefet|s2cid=225720184|doi-access=free}} The group was led by Ali Topuz and included Necdet Uğur, Orhan Eyüpoğlu, Tarhan Erdem and other leading figures in the party. It was the earliest supporter of Bülent Ecevit against İsmet İnönü in the election of the CHP chairmanship in 1972. Kotil and Ali Topuz were ardent followers of Bülent Ecevit's left of center movement.
Kotil was named as the head of the CHP's Istanbul branch in 1973. He was elected as the mayor of Istanbul in the local elections held on 11 December 1977, replacing Ahmet İsvan in the post.{{cite news
|author=Nebi Miş|title=Istanbul Elections 1950-2014|volume=3|url=https://istanbultarihi.ist/454-istanbul-elections-1950-2014|publisher=History of Istanbul|access-date=19 November 2022}} His slogan in the election campaign was "reachable, not a speech- but a service-generating mayor." He managed to obtain 56.05% of the votes. Kotil adopted a socialist approach during his tenure.{{cite journal|author1=Hatice Kurtuluş|author2=Şükrü Aslan|title=Üç şehir üç başkan: yeni liberal dönemde İstanbul, Ankara ve İzmir'de Sosyal Demokrat Belediyecilik Deneyimi|language=tr|journal=İ.Ü. Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi Dergisi|date=March 2016|issue=54|page=35
|url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/252934}} His term ended in September 1980 immediately after the military coup. Kotil's successor in the post was Hakkı Akansel, a military general.
Kotil was elected to the Parliament in the 1987 general election from the Social Democratic Populist Party. In the party Kotil and Ali Topuz supported the leadership of Deniz Baykal against Erdal İnönü.{{cite thesis|author=Haldun Cancı|title=Party Discipline Problem in the Social Democratic Populist Party|location=Bilkent University|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2652592351|page=47|degree=MA|isbn=979-8-209-97671-4|year=1992|id={{ProQuest|2652592351}}}}
Personal life and death
Kotil married in 1961 and had three children. He died of liver disease in Istanbul on 9 August 1992. He was buried in the Zincirlikuyu cemetery, Şişli, Istanbul.{{cite news|author=Fatih Sultan Kar
|title=Belediyeciliğin Babası Aytekin Kotil|url=https://www.rizedeyiz.com/Yazar/Makale/BELEDIYECILIGIN-BABASI-AYTEKIN-KOTIL-1505.html|access-date=17 November 2022|work=Rizedeyiz|date=31 January 2020|language=tr}}
Legacy
A park in Bakırköy, Istanbul, was named after him in 1993.{{cite web|title=Aytekin Kotil kimdir|publisher=Biyografi |url=https://www.biyografi.net.tr/aytekin-kotil-kimdir/|access-date=17 November 2022|language=tr}}{{cite web|title=Aytekin Kotil Parkı |url=https://yesil.istanbul/yesilalandetay_aytekin-kotil-parki|publisher=İBB|access-date=17 November 2022|language=tr}} In 2014 his biography was published in Turkish with the title Karadenizli Bir Politikacı: Aytekin Kotil (1934–1992).{{cite news|title=Aytekin Kotil'in Biyografisi Anka Yayınları'ndan Çıktı|url=https://www.haberler.com/guncel/aytekin-kotil-in-biyografisi-anka-yayinlari-ndan-6229423-haberi/|access-date=17 November 2022|work=Haberler|date=6 July 2014|language=tr}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline}}
{{Mayors of Istanbul|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotil, Aytekin}}
Category:20th-century mayors of places in Turkey
Category:20th-century Turkish lawyers
Category:Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni
Category:Members of the 18th Parliament of Turkey
Category:Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians
Category:Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey) politicians
Category:Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
Category:Deaths from liver disease