# Governor of Bursa

The governor of Bursa (Turkish: Bursa Valiliği) is the bureaucratic state official responsible for both national government and state affairs in the Province of Bursa. Similar to the governors of the 80 other provinces of Turkey, the governor of Bursa is appointed by the government of Turkey and is responsible for the implementation of government legislation within Bursa. The governor is also the most senior commander of both the Bursa provincial police force and the Bursa Gendarmerie.

## Appointment

The governor of Bursa is appointed by the president of Turkey, who confirms the appointment after recommendation from the Turkish government. The Ministry of the Interior first considers and puts forward possible candidates for approval by the cabinet. The governor of Bursa is therefore not a directly elected position and instead functions as the most senior civil servant in the Province of Bursa.

### Term limits

The governor is not limited by any term limits and does not serve for a set length of time. Instead, the governor serves at the pleasure of the government, which can appoint or reposition the governor whenever it sees fit. Such decisions are again made by the cabinet of Turkey. The governor of Bursa, as a civil servant, may not have any close connections or prior experience in Bursa Province. It is not unusual for governors to alternate between several different provinces during their bureaucratic career.

## Functions

The governor of Bursa has both bureaucratic functions and influence over local government. The main role of the governor is to oversee the implementation of decisions by government ministries, constitutional requirements and legislation passed by the Grand National Assembly within the provincial borders. The governor also has the power to reassign, remove or appoint officials a certain number of public offices and has the right to alter the role of certain public institutions if they see fit. Governors are also the most senior public official within the province, meaning that they preside over any public ceremonies or provincial celebrations being held because of a national holiday. As the commander of the provincial police and Gendarmerie forces, the governor can also take decisions designed to limit civil disobedience and preserve public order. Although mayors of municipalities and councillors are elected during local elections, the governor has the right to re-organise or to inspect the proceedings of local government despite being an unelected position.

## List of governors of Bursa

Governors of Bursa :
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office |
| 1 | Hilmi Bey | 14 April 1923 | 14 March 1924 |
| 2 | Hasan Kemaleddin Gedeleç | 24 March 1924 | 16 November 1926 |
| 3 | Hüseyin Fatin Güvendiren | 15 December 1926 | 17 June 1933 |
| 4 | Zeynel Abidin Özmen | 19 June 1933 | 28 May 1934 |
| 5 | Fazlı Güleç | 20 June 1934 | 19 August 1935 |
| 6 | Refik Şefik Soyer | 29 August 1935 | 25 May 1939 |
| 7 | Refik Koraltan | 7 June 1939 | 26 January 1942 |
| 8 | Fazlı Güleç | 10 February 1942 | 28 August 1945 |
| 9 | Haşim İşcan | 14 September 1945 | 1 August 1950 |
| 10 | Mehmet Hilmi İncesulu | 1 August 1950 | 8 December 1951 |
| 11 | Cahit Ortaç | 15 December 1951 | 12 December 1954 |
| 12 | İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil | 16 December 1954 | 31 May 1960 |
| 13 | Rasim Gökbel | 1960 | 1960 |
| 14 | Fehmi Albayrak (Askeri Vali) | 31 May 1960 | 13 June 1960 |
| 15 | Turgut Başkaya | 13 June 1960 | 4 August 1960 |
| 16 | Daniyal Yurdatapan | 12 August 1960 | 13 October 1960 |
| 17 | Enver Kuray | 13 October 1960 | 11 October 1962 |
| 18 | Fahrettin Akkutlu | 1 November 1962 | 27 June 1964 |
| 19 | Vefa Poyraz | 29 June 1964 | 18 January 1966 |
| 20 | Celalettin Ünseli | 20 January 1966 | 1 May 1967 |
| 21 | Ertuğrul Ünlüer | 5 June 1967 | 15 September 1968 |
| 22 | Enver Saatçigil | 23 October 1968 | 9 June 1971 |
| 23 | Sedat Tolga | 9 July 1971 | 23 July 1975 |
| 24 | Mehmet Karasarlıoğlu | 24 July 1975 | 17 February 1978 |
| 25 | Ziya Çoker | 19 February 1978 | 12 September 1979 |
| 26 | M.Zekai Gümüşdiş | 10 October 1979 | 2 May 1988 |
| 27 | Erdoğan Şahinoğlu | 15 August 1988 | 16 July 1991 |
| 28 | Erol Çakır | 16 July 1991 | 17 February 1992 |
| 29 | Mehmet Necati Çetinkaya | 17 February 1992 | September 1993 |
| 30 | Rıdvan Yenişen | September 1993 | 23 April 1996 |
| 31 | M. Orhan Taşanlar | 23 April 1996 | 30 September 1999 |
| 32 | Ali Fuat Güven | 4 October 1999 | 2003 |
| 33 | Oğuz Kağan Köksal | 2003 | 2005 |
| 34 | Nihat Canpolat | 2005 | 2007 |
| 35 | Şahabettin Harput | 2007 | 2013 |
| 36 | Münir Karaloğlu | 2013 | 2016 |
| 37 | İzzettin Küçük | 2016 | 2018 |
| 38 | Yakup Canbolat | 2018 | - |