(1946-) Turkish politician, prime minister from 1993. A forthright exponent of free-market economic policies, she won the leadership of the center-right True Path Party and the premiership on the election of Suleyman Demirel as president. Her support for a military, as opposed to a diplomatic, approach to Kurdish insurgency has provoked international criticism.
Trained as an economist, Ciller became economic adviser to Prime Minister Demirel 1990. She joined the government 1991 and, on assuming the premiership May 1993, embarked on an extensive economic-reform program, combining privatization with austerity measures.