Bavadra, Timoci (1934–1989)
Fijian centre-left politician, prime minister in 1987. A Melanesian chief from the main
island of Viti Levu, Bavadra formed the left-of-centre Fijian Labour Party (FLP) in
1985, which advocated a neutralist, non-nuclear foreign policy and racially bipartisan
and socialist domestic policies. After the April 1987 general election he was able to
form a coalition government with the Indian community-oriented National Federation
Party (NFP) to end 17 years of rule by the conservative Alliance Party of Kamisese
Mara. However, after only 32 days as prime minister, Bavadra was ousted in a
military coup, led by Major General Sitiveni Rabuka, who was concerned that the
FLP–NFP government would favour ethnic Indians at the expense of the ethnic Fijian
community.
On Bavadra's death from cancer in November 1989, his widow, Adi Kuini Bavadra
(1949– ), took over as FLP president until 1991, and became president of the All
National Congress (ANC) in 1995. She opposed constitutional changes by the
Rabuka regime, which sought to entrench ethnic Fijian control. Unlike her husband,
who was a commoner, Adi Bavadra is of noble birth and related to Kamisese Mara
and Penaia Ganilau.
Bayer, Mahmud Jelâl (1884–1986)
Turkish politician, president 1950–60. With Adnan Menderes, he founded the
Democrat Party in 1945 and, following the party's victory in the 1950 election, was
elected as Turkey's first civilian president. His open partisanship in what was by
convention a politically neutral office eroded his popularity, and he was deposed by a
military coup in 1960. A death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, from
which he was released in 1964.
Bayer was a member of the Young Turk movement from 1907, and served under
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of Turkey, notably as a successful minister
of economy 1932–37.
Bazargan, Mehdi (1907–1995)
Iranian politician, prime minister in 1979. In 1977 he cofounded the Human Rights
Association and in February 1979, following the overthrow of the government of
Shapour Bakhtiar, he became Iran's first post-revolutionary prime minister, heading
the Provisional Government. The moderate Bazargan faced opposition from leftists
and fundamental Islamists and in November 1979 he resigned, following the
hostage-taking of US diplomats in Tehran by radical Islamic students.
A devout Muslim, he had served as a deputy minister 1951–53 under Muhammad
Mossadeq and in 1961 cofounded the Freedom Movement of Iran. During the regime
of Shah Reza Pahlavi, from 1953, Bazargan became a leader of the opposition to the
shah's authoritarian rule and was imprisoned several times.
Following his resignation, he became a critic of the Islamic Revolution's excesses
and of corruption, founding, in 1987, the Association for Defence of the Freedom and