Devlet Bahçeli was born in 1948 in Osmaniye. He completed his primary education in Osmaniye and secondary education in Istanbul. Bahçeli graduated from the Ankara Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences. In 1967 he was a student and became the founder and manager of Grey Wolves (Organization). In 1970-1971 he was the General Secretary of the Turkish National Student Federation.
Since 1972 he has worked as an assistant to the Department of Economics at the Ankara Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences and affiliated colleges. He studied for a doctorate in Economics at Gazi University Social Sciences Institute. He served as a faculty member until 1987 at the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of the same university.
Devlet Bahçeli, who speaks English well, resigned on April 17, 1987 from the position of lecturer in universities upon the summons by Alparslan Türkeş. He was elected to the party administration at the MÇP Grand Assembly held on April 19, 1987 and was appointed as General Secretary.
The duty of the MCP and the MHP in the administrative staff continued uninterruptedly until today. At various occasions, Devlet Bahçeli, who was in charge of the General Secretary, Deputy Chairman, Member of the Central Executive Committee, Member of the Central Decision Board and Head of the Chief Counsel, assumed the post of MHP President after the 5th Extraordinary Congress on 6 July 1997.
He was reelected as the Chairman of MHP's Ordinary Grand Congresses on November 5, 2000, October 12, 2003, November 19, 2006, November 8, 2009 and November 4.
July 15 coup attempt
The first condemnation of the opposition came from Bahçeli.
When the July 15 coup attempt started, MHP General Director Devlet Bahçeli and his staff had left the building of the General Headquarters a short time before. Bahçeli was at his house in Ankara when the planes were flying low. After a quick phone call, MHP management decided to meet at the Headquarters. Bahçeli said he wanted to reach the Prime Minister immediately. He tried to contact the Prime Minister, but this was not possible. The MHP leader sent the following message to the Prime Minister: "We are the supporters of political power against these happenings."
This message was the first message of support to be sent to the ruling party by the opposition. Bahçeli, concerning security, was offered to be taken to a safe place. Bahçeli did not accept it and said that he would not leave the party no matter what happened.
The MHP leader made a written statement about the coup attempt after midnight. The President and his assistants watched all the events from headquarters until morning. After several hours of break in the morning, the MHP members were back at the headquarters on Saturday morning.
"An extraordinary and illegitimate situation"
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli said that "The Republic of Turkey is facing an extraordinary and illegitimate situation. It is alleged that a group of Turkish Armed Forces wants to have a military intervention and take over the administration. Obviously, the attempt to suspend democracy and ignore the will of the nation is a big mistake to be made against my country."
After the coup attempt, the four parties agreed on the joint declaration and the Assembly convened unconventionally at 17.00 for the reading of the text. MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli made a speech addressing the Assembly. Bahçeli, who assessed the coup attempt on July 15, said, "Last night an attempt to chain and attack democracy was made. A handful of enemy collaborators who infiltrated the honorable Turkish army tried to bring Turkey to its knees,break its spine and and destroy national entity."
He joined the Yenikapi meeting
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli gave the first speech at the meeting. State Bahçeli reacted harshly to FETÖ ringleader Fetullah Gülen, who was living in the state of Pennsylvania in the USA.
Bahçeli said, "A new invasion experiment on July 15th was a new massacre and destruction," he said. "A terrorist who looks like a scholar and teacher, shoots the murder plot with hate speeches. This voyeur, a Muslim-looking Vlad the Impaler, who sold his soul to Satan, came out with treachery and antagonism against Turkey, and set a record in corruption and hypocrisy, and FETO, who carried the crusaders' bearings, aimed at ."
Bahçeli left the MHP headquarters with fellow party members and went to the walking track to take a walk. He left the track at 8:45 p.m., and said: “Look, we have walked 15 minutes longer today.”
It is known that Bahçeli usually goes to a small walking track and exercises with his associates on certain days.