← 1960 1959 1958 1961 in Turkey → 1962 1963 1964
Centuries:	20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Turkey

Events in the year 1961 in Turkey.^[1]

• 12th Parliament of Turkey (from 6 January)

• President – Cemal Gürsel
• Prime Minister

Cemal Gürsel (up to 26 October)

Fahri Özdilek, acting (26 October – 20 November)

İsmet İnönü (from 20 November)

• Leader of the opposition – Ekrem Alican (from 12 November)

• Ruling party – Republican People's Party (CHP) and coalition partner (Justice Party (AP)) (from 20 November)
• Main opposition – New Turkey Party (YTP) (from 20 November)

• 24th government of Turkey (up to 5 January)
• 25th government of Turkey (5 January – 20 November)
• 26th government of Turkey (from 20 November)

• 6 January – constituent assembly
• 1 April – The ban on political activities was lifted
• 3 June – Fenerbahçe won the championship of Turkish football league.^[2]
• 9 July – Referendum on the new Turkish constitution (65% approved)
• 15 September – Verdicts (on the Democrat Party (DP) members) pronounced
• 16/17 September – Executions of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Minister of Finance Hasan Polatkan
• 15 October – General elections (CHP 173 seats, AP 158 seats, YTP 65 seats, CKMP 54 seats)
• 26 October – Cemal Gürsel was elected as the new president. Fahri Özdilek was appointed as the acting prime minister.
• 20 November - Civilian government

• 1 January – Edibe Sözen, politician
• 31 January – Fatih Kısaparmak, singer and songwriter
• 3 May – Leyla Zana, politician
• 15 June – Gülten Kışanak, politician
• 1 July – Birgül Ayman Güler, politician
• 19 July – Metin Kaya, Turkish-born German politician
• 17 December – Ersun Yanal, football coach

• 8 January – Yaşar Doğu (aged 48), wrestler
• 26 February – Hasan Ali Yücel (aged 64), writer and former minister of National education
• 16 June – Peyami Safa (aged 62), writer and journalist
• 16 September – Hasan Polatkan (aged 46), former minister of Finance
• 16 September – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu (aged 51), former minister of Foreign Affairs
• 17 September – Adnan Menderes (aged 62), former prime minister (19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd government of Turkey)
• 19 September – Şemsettin Günaltay (aged 78), former prime minister (1940s)

• 
  Cemal Gürsel
• 
  İsmet İnönü
• 
  Leyla Zana
• 
  Birgül Ayman Güler
• 
  Hasan Ali Yücel
• 
  Adnan Menderes
• 
  Şemsettin Günaltay

• 1960–61 Milli Lig