no obvious candidate, but her three challengers could not muster the political capital to compete effectively. The media and business community supported her, and her gender gave the impression that Turkey was a progressive Muslim country. She fell 11 votes shy of a majority in the first ballot for party leader. Her opponents withdrew and Çiller became the party's leader and on 25 June, the first and so far only female Prime Minister of Turkey. She continued the DYP-SHP coalition with small changes (50th government of Turkey). As prime minister While forming her coalition an Islamist mob set fire to a hotel which was hosting an Alevi cultural event, killing 35. The Sivas massacre and the government's slow response foreshadowed Çiller's future handling of human rights. Çiller chose to continue Demirel's coalition government with the SHP, but replaced most of the ministers from her own party. She was the only woman in cabinet until 1995, when a woman state minister for women and family affairs was appointed. As Prime Minister Çiller promoted a pro-military conservative populism and economic liberalism. She shifted the DYP more to the right compared to her mentor Demirel. She juggled "masculine" and "feminine" styles, boasting of her "toughness" at the same time as she wanted to be the nation's mother and sister. She became a new role model for women politicians, though was accused of being authoritarian. Çiller appeared uninterested in women's issues. Çiller played a major role in reforming Turkey's economic institutions, which are known as the and was rewarded with IMF funding. Fighting the PKK The Sivas and Başbağlar massacres occurred days after the beginning of her premiership. The Castle Plan (previously approved by the National Security Council) was implemented to combat the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (although elements of the strategy preceded the official plan). The Çiller government was heavily criticized for committing human rights violations during counter-terrorism operations. Çiller transformed the Turkish Army from an organization using vintage equipment from the US Army into a modern fighting force capable of countering the PKK, using hit-and-run tactics. She also convinced the U.S. government to list the PKK as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which was later followed by the acceptance of the same by the European Union. Her overall approach to the Kurds was ambiguous, while she suggested for the Kurds an autonomy similar the one the Basques have in Spain, she retracted her