November 13th Elimination
The conflict among the pro-coup officers after the coup d’état of May 27th led to a significant fracture within the National Unity Committee (MBK). The self-proclaimed radical reformist “Fourteens” (Alparslan Türkeş, Orhan Kabibay, Orhan Erkanlı, Muzafer Özdağ, Rifat Baykal, FazIl Akkoyunlu, Ahmet Er, Dündar Taner, Numan Esin, Mustafa Kaplan, İrfan Solmazer, Tefik Soyuyüce, Muzaffer Karan, and Münir Köseoğlu) within MBK argued that Turkey had serious structural problems in the political, social, and economic realms and that a healthy democracy could not be established in the country unless these problems were resolved. Therefore, the group refused relinquishing power to civilians any time soon and insisted for a long-term continuation of military regime.
In light of this development, CHP president İsmet İnönü exerted his influence to end military regime at once and hold elections to transfer the power to a civil administration. İnönü’s stance empowered a group of MBK members that sought to return to the democratic system at once. In order to eliminate the “Fourteens,” General Cemal Gürsel announced on November 13, 1960 that he was dissolving the MBK.
The newly formed MBK did not include the Fourteens. Ostracized, these individuals were retired from the army following an operation conducted by Lieutenant General Cemal Madanoğlu and were sent abroad on token missions. The plan thus backfired and accelerated the transition back into democracy.
