Who Is Mansur Yavas? The Mayor of Ankara

Who Is Mansur Yavas?

Who is Mansur Yavas (Yavaş)? He is one of Turkey’s most well-known political figures and currently serves as the Mayor of Ankara. Born on May 23, 1955, in Beypazarı, a historical district of Ankara. Yavas has been selected twice as the Mayor of Ankara.

The son of Ahmet Sadık Yavas and Havva Yavas, Mansur completed his primary and secondary education in Beypazarı. In 1979, he entered Istanbul University’s Faculty of Law and graduated in 1983. He fulfilled his military duty as a military prosecutor and then worked as a lawyer in Beypazarı for 13 years.

Who Is Mansur Yavas in Turkish Local Politics?

To answer who is Mansur Yavas in politics, we must start with his early success as Beypazarı Mayor. Elected in 1999 from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Yavas received 51% of the vote. He restored the historic Beypazarı houses, turning the district into a tourism hub.

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He won again in 2004 and earned several national awards. These include “Best Local Administrator of 2001,” a Turkish Language Association honor for preserving Turkish, and the Environmental Protection Award. In 2004, TÜSİAV named him “Mayor of the Year.”

Who Is Mansur Yavas After 2009?

In 2009, he ran for Ankara’s mayor but did not win. In 2013, he joined the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and ran again in 2014. He narrowly lost to Melih Gökçek by just 1%.

Despite this, his popularity grew. In 2016, he briefly left the CHP but returned in 2018. In 2019, the CHP selected him once more. This time, he won with 50.9% of the vote, becoming the Mayor of Ankara.

Who Is Mansur Yavas as Mayor of Ankara?

He has been selected twice. First in 2019, second in 2024.
In 2020, he won the “Transparency Award” on International Anti-Corruption Day. In 2021, he received the “World Mayor Capital Award,” recognizing his global leadership among city leaders.

Read more biographies written by Turkey Tribune