APresident · 1982 – 1989Independent states
Kenan Evren
Türkiye's seventh president (1917–2015), who led the 1980 coup and became president under the 1982 Constitution.
As Chief of the General Staff, Kenan Evren led the military coup of 12 September 1980 and became head of state as chairman of the National Security Council; the 1982 Constitution, approved by referendum, made him president for seven years.
Elections in 1983 restored civilian government. In 2014 a court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the coup; he died in 2015 while the appeal was pending.
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Updated: October 4, 2026