• 18th Parliament of Turkey

• President – Kenan Evren
• Prime Minister – Turgut Özal
• Leader of the opposition – Erdal İnönü

• Ruling party – Motherland Party (ANAP)
• Main opposition – Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP)

• 46th government of Turkey

January edit

• 11 January – Turkey signs Council of Europe’s convention on “Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.”^[2]
• 25 January – Turkey signs United Nations’ international convention against inhuman treatment and torture.^[2]

February edit

• 1 February – Socialist Party founded.^[2]
• 28 February – First heart transplant in Turkey (Ankara University)

April edit

• 6 April – State visit of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.^[2]
• 27 April – Naim Süleymanoğlu wins three gold medals in Cardiff European Weightlifting Championships.

May edit

• 29 May – Galatasaray wins the championship^[3]

June edit

• 26 June – State visit of Kenan Evren to the United States.^[2]

July edit

• 3 July – Second bridge over the Bosporus opens.
• 12 July – State visit of Evren to Great Britain.^[2]

September edit

• 20 September – Naim Süleymanoğlu wins gold in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

October edit

• 16 October – State visit of Evren to West Germany.^[2]
• 22 October - Esat Oktay Yıldıran was assassinated by PKK.

November edit

• 20 November – Suat Atalık gains the title Grandmaster in Chess Olympiad.

December edit

• 3 December – Council of Higher Education, the highest body of Turkish universities, lifts ban against Islamic-style head scarves for female university students.^[2]
• 8 December – Constitutional Court rejects request by chief prosecutor to close down Socialist Party.^[2]
• 16 December – State visit of Turgut Özal to the United States.^[2]

• 5 January – Ziya Erdal, footballer
• 8 January – Burcu Erbaş, basketball player
• 2 February – Turgut Doğan Şahin, footballer
• 10 April – Özgürcan Özcan, footballer
• 1 May – Tuğçe Şahutoğlu, hammer thrower
• 11 May – Tuğçe Hocaoğlu, volleyball player
• 31 May – Didem Ege, volleyball player
• 8 June – Begüm Dalgalar – basketball player
• 13 July – Neriman Özsoy, volleyball player
• 7 September – Yağmur Koçyiğit, volleyball player
• 26 September – Servet Tazegül, taekwondo practitioner
• 28 September – Bahar Çağlar, basketball player
• 15 October – Mesut Özil, footballer

• 8 January – Duygu Aykal (born 1943), ballerina
• 21 January – Cemal Reşit Eyüpoğlu (born 1906), lawyer, politician and journalist
• 24 March – Turhan Feyzioğlu (born 1922), lawyer, politician
• 18 April – Oktay Rifat (born 1914), novelist
• 1 May – Altan Erbulak (born 1929), caricaturist, theatre actor
• 31 May – Lütfi Akadlı (born 1902), lawyer
• 3 September – Ferit Melen (born 1906), former prime minister (35th government of Turkey)
• 29 September – Sıtkı Yırcalı (born 1908), politician

•  
  Kenan Evren
•  
  Bülent Ecevit
•  
  Suat Atalık
•  
  Ziya Erdal
•  
  Turgut Doğan Şahin
•  
  Tuğçe Hocaoğlu
•  
  Neriman Özsoy
•  
  Yağmur Koçyiğit
•  
  Bahar Çağlar
•  
  Bahar Kızıl
•  
  Mesut Özil

• Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988
• 1987–88 1.Lig
• Turkey at the 1988 Summer Olympics
• Turkey at the 1988 Winter Olympics