Deputy Parliament Speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder is in intensive care after a lengthy surgery in the aftermath of a heart attack on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.
Önder was hospitalized in Istanbul and his People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) announced that the lawmaker suffered from a rupture in his aorta after a heart attack in his residence. Officials of the hospital said Önder was still at vital risk after a surgery that lasted for about 12 hours.
The lawmaker announced his health problems last year, citing suffering from a brain clot and subsequent diagnosis of a tumor in the pancreas.
The 62-year-old lawmaker has been under the spotlight in recent months due to his role as part of a delegation working for the terror-free Türkiye initiative. Last week, he joined a fellow lawmaker from the DEM Party in a landmark meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan where they outlined their efforts for the initiative that aims to end the campaign of violence by the PKK, the terrorist group associated with the DEM Party.
Politicians extended get-well-soon wishes for Önder after his hospitalization. At the same time, media outlets reported that President Erdoğan called DEM Party lawmaker Pervin Buldan, who accompanied Önder during last week’s meeting, to assure them that Önder would be well cared for by a crew of “Türkiye’s best doctors.”
Önder, a political activist jailed by the junta after the 1980 coup, embarked on a career in film and journalism after working odd jobs. His directorial and screenwriting debut "Beynelmilel" ("The International") garnered praise and awards in several national film festivals. He gained further prominence with notable cameos in Turkish films in the 2000s and appearances in TV talk shows. He returned to politics full-time in 2011 and served four terms as a lawmaker from several parties that were either spiritual predecessors or close allies of the DEM Party.
