ANAP, which attained the majority in the Parliament and came to power in 1983 under the leadership of Turgut ozal, also succeeded in remaining in power after the 1987 elections.
The most significant characteristics of the ozal period were the structural changes in the economy realized by a series of decisive and courageous reforms. These liberal structural reforms were referred to by Ozal, as the "Great Transformation". The milestones during ozal's tenure were fundamental changes in the Law for the Protection of the Value of Turkish Currency and the Foreign Currency Exchange system, imports and exports were liberalized and a transition to a "Free Exchange Rate" in the foreign currency system. The "import substitution" economic model as replaced by an economic policy that gave "priority to exports". State subsidies were decreased and production was oriented at exports.
Value Added Tax was put into effect to increase state revenues. Revenue Sharing Bonds were issued for sale, the Mass Housing and Privatization Administrations were established and free trade zones were formed. Thus, economic growth accelerated and the chronic foreign currency deficit problem was solved. The most important development in foreign policy was the relative improvement observed in Turkey's relations with the European countries.
As a matter of fact, the Advisory Assemb ly of the Council of Europe which had suspended its relations with Turkey, accepted the participation of Turkish parliamentarians in this Assembly in May 1984. On the other hand, Turkey, which followed a policy of neutrality during the Iran-Iraq War that lasted for years, positively developed her trade with both countries. Improvements continued in US relations, which had been revived after permission was given to Greece to return to the military wing of NATO. In this period, Turkey obtained great increases in exports and tourism revenues due to the intensive trade relations established especially with the Middle Eastern and European countries.
Important developments also occurred in domestic politics during the First ozal Government. HP and SODEP were united under the name of the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP). The team of Bulent Ecevit, the former Chairman of the CHP, who had been banned from politics, established the Democratic Left Party (DSP). Political bans were removed in a referendum held on 6 September 1986.
Thereafter, Bulent Ecevit became the Chairman of the DSP, Suleyman Demirel became the Chairman of the DYP, Alparslan Turkes became the Chairman of the Nationalist Working Party (MCP) and Necmettin Erbakan became the Chairman of the Welfare Party (RP). In the early general elections held in 1987, ANAP came to power with 36 percent of the votes and 65 percent of the seats in the Parliament. The SHP ranked second with 24.75 percent of the votes and the DYP obtained 19.15 percent of the votes.
The other parties could not win seats in the Parliament because they could not pass the 10 percent vote barrier. When Kenan Evren's term in office expired, Turgut ozal was elected President on 9 November 1989. He appointed Yildirim Akbulut as the Prime Minister. Akbulut was later elected the new chairman of the ANAP in the party's Special General Congress that convened in November 1989.