Tarhan Erdem

Tarhan Erdem
General Secretary of the Republican People's Party
In office
6 July 1999 – 13 September 2000
Leader Altan Öymen
Preceded by Adnan Keskin
Succeeded by Oya Araslı
Minister of Industry and Technology
In office
21 June 1977 – 21 July 1977
Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit
Preceded by Abdülkerim Doğru
Succeeded by Oğuzhan Asiltürk
Member of the Grand National Assembly
In office
5 June 1977 – 12 September 1980
Constituency İstanbul (1977)
Personal details
Born 1933
Kurucaşile, Bartın, Turkey
Nationality  Turkey
Political party Republican People's Party (CHP) (former)
Alma mater İstanbul University
Profession Politician, researcher

Tarhan Erdem (born 1933) is a former Turkish politician who currently is the President of KONDA Research and Consultancy, an opinion polling company. He is a former member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and briefly served as the Ministry of Industry and Technology during the short-lived 40th government of Turkey headed by CHP leader Bülent Ecevit between 21 June and 21 July 1977.[1]

Early life and career

Erdem was born in Kurucaşile, Bartın in 1933. He graduated from İstanbul University Faculty of Civil Engineering in 1959. He joined the Republican People's Party (CHP) in 1953 at the age of 20.[2] Between 1959 and 1995, he served in various positions such as director and general co-ordinator in numerous companies including the Milliyet newspaper.[3]

Political career

Erdem was elected as a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of İstanbul in the general election of 1977. The CHP won 41% of the vote, their highest vote share since 1950, but failed to win a parliamentary majority. The party's leader Bülent Ecevit attempted to form a minority government.[4]

Erdem was appointed as the Ministry of Industry and Technology in Ecevit's government, taking office on 21 June 1977. The government, however, failed to achieve a vote of confidence in Parliament, resulting in its dissolution on 21 July 1977 after just one month in office. The government was succeeded by a nationalist coalition formed by Justice Party (AP) leader Süleyman Demirel, which is often referred to as the Second Nationalist Front. Erdem's membership of the Grand National Assembly came to an end after Parliament was dissolved on 12 September 1980 by General Kenan Evren, who led a coup d'état against the government.[5]

KONDA

After leaving the CHP, Erdem became a staunch critic of the party's new leader Deniz Baykal. His opinion polling company, KONDA, is known to be close to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.[6] KONDA's predictions for the 2007 and 2010 constitutional referendum were praised for being almost exactly accurate, however the company's predictions for the 2009 local election was widely seen as inaccurate. After the company's predictions for the 2014 presidential election emerged to have grossly overestimated Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's vote, KONDA issued a public letter of apology.[7]

References

See also

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