Yıldırım Akbulut

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Turkey from 1989 to 1991}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Yıldırım Akbulut

| image = Yildirim Akbulut (1988).jpg

| caption = Akbulut in 1988

| order1 = 15th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly

| president1 = Süleyman Demirel
Ahmet Necdet Sezer

| term_start1 = 20 May 1999

| term_end1 = 30 September 2000

| predecessor1 = Hikmet Çetin

| successor1 = Ömer İzgi

| order3 = Leader of the Motherland Party

| term_start3 = 16 November 1989

| term_end3 = 15 June 1991

| predecessor3 = Turgut Özal

| successor3 = Mesut Yılmaz

| order = Prime Minister of Turkey

| president = Turgut Özal

| deputy = Ali Bozer {{small|(1989-90)}}

| term_start = 9 November 1989

| term_end = 23 June 1991

| predecessor = Turgut Özal

| successor = Mesut Yılmaz

| president2 = Kenan Evren

| term_start2 = 24 December 1987

| term_end2 = 9 November 1989

| predecessor2 = Necmettin Karaduman

| successor2 = İsmet Kaya Erdem

| order4 = Interior Minister of Turkey

| primeminister4 = Turgut Özal

| term_start4 = 26 October 1984

| term_end4 = 26 September 1987

| predecessor4 = Ali Tanrıyar

| successor4 = Ahmet Selçuk

| office5 = Member of the Grand National Assembly

| term_start5 = 2 May 1999

| term_end5 = 3 November 2002

| constituency5 = Ankara (1999)

| term_start6 = 24 November 1983

| term_end6 = 4 December 1995

| constituency6 = Erzincan (1983, 1987, 1991)

| birth_date = {{birth date|1935|9|2}}

| birth_place = Erzincan, Turkey

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|4|14|1935|9|2}}

| death_place = Ankara, Turkey

| resting_place = State Cemetery

| party = ANAP

| spouse = Saime Akbulut

| alma_mater = Istanbul University

| education = Law

| profession = Politician

| religion =

}}

Yıldırım Akbulut ({{IPA|tr|jɯɫdɯˈɾɯm akbuˈɫut}}; 2 September 1935{{cite book |title=Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ve 50 Hükümeti |page=51| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fFSKAAAAMAAJ |first=Türker |last=Sanal |publisher=Sim Yayın |year=1995 |language=Turkish |isbn=978-9759544010 |access-date=April 15, 2021}}{{cite book |title=Hayret ki Başbakan |page=88| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=alYtAQAAIAAJ |first=Ender |last=Arol |publisher=Boyut Yayınevi |year=1990 |language=Turkish |isbn=978-9755080222 |access-date=April 15, 2021}}{{cite encyclopedia |title= Yıldırım Akbulut |encyclopedia= Yeni Rehber Ansiklopedisi |language= Turkish |publisher= Türkiye Gazetesi |volume= 20 |page= 239}} – 14 April 2021{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkish-prime-minister-yildirim-akbulut-dies-aged-85-77072014|title=Former Turkish prime minister Yildirim Akbulut dies aged 85|website=ABC News|accessdate=Apr 15, 2021}}) was a Turkish politician, who was a leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP), the Prime Minister of Turkey, and twice the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.{{cite web|url=https://www.tbmm.gov.tr/biyog/tbmmbsk.htm |title=Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi |trans-title=Grand National Assembly of Turkey |language=Turkish |access-date=17 April 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707202225/https://www.tbmm.gov.tr/biyog/tbmmbsk.htm |archive-date=7 July 2018}}{{cite book |title=Kronolojik Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Tarihi |page=425| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGsMAQAAMAAJ |first1=Hakan |last1=Toy |first2=Defne |last2=Elmacı |publisher=Karma Kitaplar |year=2007 |language=Turkish |isbn=978-9944321518 |access-date=April 17, 2021}}

A lawyer by profession, Akbulut was one of the founding members of the Motherland Party in 1983. Entering Parliament in the 1983 general election, he became the Minister of the Interior under Prime Minister and ANAP leader Turgut Özal in 1984. Serving until 1987, Akbulut was then fielded as his party's candidate for Parliamentary speaker, which he won and subsequently served until 1989.

In 1989, Özal contested the presidential election and was elected the 8th President of Turkey. Özal chose Akbulut as his successor as Prime Minister, leading him to be elected ANAP leader and taking office as the 20th Prime Minister of Turkey. He was widely regarded as a 'puppet' of President Özal, who was accused despite his ceremonial and impartial position of calling the shots for the government. He was defeated in the 1991 ANAP leadership primaries by Mesut Yılmaz and subsequently left office. In 1999, he was elected for a second time as Speaker of Parliament.

To this date in Turkish politics, 'Yıldırım Akbulut' has become synonymous with 'political puppet', denoting a politician stationed in high office but actually only serving on behalf of another, more powerful superior. When serving Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected President in 2014, the media ran speculation about who would be Erdoğan's 'Yıldırım Akbulut' (replacement prime minister on Erdoğan's behalf).