Bülent Arınç
A founding architect of Turkey's ruling AKP, he served as Parliament Speaker and Deputy PM, embodying the party's conservative and pragmatic early vision.
Born 1948 (age 78)·22nd Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey·Birthday: May 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bülent Arınç is a political veteran whose career is woven into the foundation of modern Turkish politics. A lawyer by training, he entered parliament in the 1990s and became a key figure in the Islamic-rooted political movement. In 2001, he was among the small circle that founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which would dominate Turkish politics for decades. As the first Speaker of Parliament under the AKP's majority from 2002 to 2007, he helped steer the country's pivotal early EU reform process. Later, as Deputy Prime Minister, he was a steadying, often moderate voice within the government. While his public profile diminished in later years, Arınç's legacy is that of a party insider who helped translate a religious-conservative worldview into sustained political power.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bülent was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bülent Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Bülent's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001, which has governed Turkey since 2002.
- Served as the 22nd Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from 2002 to 2007.
- Held the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 2009 to 2015.
Did You Know?
He is known for his deep knowledge of Ottoman history and classical Turkish music.
Arınç publicly expressed disagreement with some government policies in later years, notably criticizing police actions during the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
He began his political career in the now-dissolved Islamist Welfare Party.
“The parliament is the heart of the nation, where the people's voice must be heard.”
