Ferit Melen

Statesman, politician and prime minister (B. 1906, Van – D. 3rd September 1988, Ankara). He got his primary and secondary school education in Van; and in 1928, he got his high school education in Bursa Erkek High School. He was enrolled in the same year to School of Political Science (Mülkiye Mektebi) and graduated in 1931. Right after his graduation, he was assigned as officer in attendance, and then in 25^th October 1931 as the state auditor assistant. On 28^th January 1943, he was promoted as the chief inspector. He was sent to Paris for one year to perform research in French Ministry of Finance. After returning to Turkey, he was appointed as the General Director of Revenues at the Department of Finance on 30^th June 1946.

               In 1950’s elections, he achieved to be elected as a member of parliament from his home-town Van, although the Cumhuriyet Halk Party (CHP) managed to gather only very few representatives. In 1954, he started to work as an independent financial consultant as he wasn’t elected to the parliament again.  In 1957’s elections he was re-qualified as a parliamentarian, representing Van. After having retired on 30^th September 1959, he represented Van in the constituent assembly which was formed after the 27^th May 1960 military coup. After 1961’s elections, he got inducted to the position of Finance Minister to the two İnönü cabinets which were established on March 25^th of 1962 and after, without being in the cabinet himself (1962-1965). 1966-67 he assumed the membership of European Council. After Professor Nihat Erim resigned the presidency in 1972, Ferit Melen was first assigned to the seat of prime minister on commission and then he was assigned personally.

Between the years of 1965-79, Melen assumed the membership of the Republican Senate of Van. In 1968, he resigned from the CHP then he joined as a founding member to the Güven Party, in which his close friend professor Turhan Feyzioğlu was the general president. He was the Minister of National Defense, at the first and second cabinets of Nihat Erim. On 12^th July 1982, he was co-opted to the Republican Senate as a member by the president of the republic. This assignment lasted till the military coup on 12^th September 1980. In 1983 general elections, he was elected as the representative of Van once again.

12th March (1971) Military Memorandum’s generals and admirals wanted Ferit Melen to form the new government instead of Nihat Erim, who resigned for the second time from the presidency on 22^nd May 1972. Thereon Melen formed the new coalition government with eight members of the AP, five members of the CHP and one of the GP. This cabinet was defined as a transition period cabinet which settled down the economic and political crisis.

            In 6th April 1973’s elections, Korutürk constituted a majority and became the 6th President of Turkish Republic. By the force of the democratic practice, the Prime Minister Ferit Melen handed in the resignation of his cabinet to the president and completed his mission as the prime minister. The general opinion throughout his 11-month-long service as a prime minister, was that his service was not worthy of note. He died on the 3rd day of September 1988 in Ankara and was buried in Cebeci Asri Cemetery. Melen had 2 children and knew French.