Fikri Işık

Fikri Işık MP (born 13 September 1965) is a Turkish politician who served as the last Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 2017 to 2018. Previously, he served as Minister of Science, Industry and Technology from 2013 to 2016 and Minister of National Defense from 2016 to 2017. He is a Member of Parliament representing the Kocaeli Province on behalf of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), from 2007 to 2023. Before politics, Işık was an educator.

Fikri Işık MP
Işık in April 2017
Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
In office 19 July 2017 – 9 July 2018
Prime Minister	Binali Yıldırım
Serving with	Mehmet Şimşek Bekir Bozdağ Hakan Çavuşoğlu Recep Akdağ
Preceded by	Veysi Kaynak
Succeeded by	office abolished
Minister of National Defense
In office 24 May 2016 – 19 July 2017
President	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime Minister	Binali Yıldırım
Preceded by	İsmet Yılmaz
Succeeded by	Nurettin Canikli
Minister of Science, Industry and Technology
In office 25 December 2013 – 24 May 2016
Prime Minister	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Ahmet Davutoğlu
Preceded by	Nihat Ergün
Member of the Grand National Assembly
In office 22 July 2007 – 7 April 2023
Constituency	Kocaeli (2007, 2011, June 2015, Nov 2015, 2018)
Personal details
Born	(1965-09-13) 13 September 1965 (age 59) Babacan, Şiran, Gümüşhane, Turkey
Political party	Justice and Development Party (AKP)
Spouse	Nigar Işık
Children	4
Alma mater	Middle East Technical University
Profession	Politician, educator
Cabinet	61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th

Early life

Fikri Işık was born on 13 September 1965 to Tevfik and Mecbure Işık in the village of Babacan in Şiran district of Gümüşhane Province, Turkey.^[1] He studied Mathematics Education at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.^[1][2]

Career

Profession

Işık worked as a mathematics and English language teacher in private schools at İzmit and Istanbul. He served also as manager in the food industry.^[1][2]

Politics

Fikri Işık entered politics on 20 October 2001 through his founding membership of the Justice and Development Party's Kocaeli Province organization. He was elected its chairman on 22 June 2003, serving four years at this post.^[1]

Işık meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis at the NATO Headquarters, February 2017

In 2007, he left his chair at the regional level to run for a seat in the parliament. Işık was elected into the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the 2007 general election as an MP from Kocaeli Province. He was re-elected a second time into the parliament in the 2011 general election. Between 2007 and 2013, he was responsible in the party headquarters for the coordination of the part's regional organizations in 47 provinces across the country. On 31 January 2013, Işık became chairman of the parliamentary National Education, Youth and Sports Commission.^[1][3]

On 26 December 2013, Fikri Işık assumed office as the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, succeeding Nihat Ergün during Erdoğan's cabinet reshuffle with ten new names that was announced the day before, on 25 December, following the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey.^{[2][4][5][6][7]}

Personal life

Fikri Işık is married and has four children.^[1]