He was Director-General of the Ministry of National Education from October 1996 to June 2002 and was then appointed to the government as Minister of Planning, Development, and Cooperation on 12 June 2002.
Ekim 1996-Haziran 2002 tarihlerinde Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Genel Müdürü oldu ve daha sonra, 12 Haziran 2002 tarihinde Planlama, Kalkınma ve İşbirliği Bakanı olarak hükümete atandı.