Rahşan Ecevit

Rahşan Ecevit
Leader of the Democratic Left Party
In office 14 November 1985 – 13 September 1987
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Bülent Ecevit
Chairman of the Democratic Left People's Party
In office January 17, 2010 – June 12, 2010
Preceded by	Hulki Cevizoğlu
Succeeded by	party closed
Personal details
Born	1923 (age 93–94) Bursa, Turkey
Political party	Democratic Left Party (1985-2009), Democratic Left People's Party (2009-2010), Republican People's Party (2010-)
Spouse(s)	Bülent Ecevit (1946-2006)
Alma mater	Robert College
Profession	Politician, writer & painter

Rahşan Ecevit (née Aral; born 1923) is the widow of Turkish politician and former prime minister Bülent Ecevit.

She was born in Bursa, Turkey to a family from Şebinkarahisar, a town in the northeastern Giresun Province. Her father was Namık Zeki Aral, and her mother Zahide Aral. Their family came from Thessaloniki after the population exchange agreement in 1920. Rahşan graduated from the American high school Robert College in İstanbul. She married her classmate Bülent Ecevit in 1946.

Following the military coup in 1980 led by General Kenan Evren, her husband was imprisoned and was suspended from active politics for life. Bülent Ecevit's party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), was closed down. On November 14, 1985, Rahşan founded a centre-left social democratic party, the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and led it until her husband's ban from politics was lifted in 1987.

Rahşan Ecevit was the vice president of the Democratic Left Party and responsible for the party's organization between 1989 and 2004. She became the leader of the new Democratic Left People's Party (DSHP) on January 17, 2010, when the DSP seemed to have no chance anymore to win seats in elections. After Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had become the leader of the CHP and stopped the right trend she disbanded her new party and with many members joined the now rather social democratic CHP.

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