many politicians of the 1970s, Baykal was arrested and detained in Ankara, receiving a ban of five years from the military on grounds of political activities. Baykal joined the Social Democracy Party SODEP in 1984. In a constitutional referendum held in 1987, the electorate voted to lift all political bans from the coup-era. As a result, Ecevit, Süleyman Demirel and other key politicians of the pre-1980 era returned to politics alongside Baykal. Political career after 1980 SHP era, 1987 SODEP merged with the Populist Party (SHP) in 1987 and Baykal was elected again as an MP from Antalya in 1987 general elections. He was elected to the second chair of the Social Democratic Populist Party as the General Secretary in 1988 and served as the party's parliamentary group leader. He stood as General secretary on 10 September 1990, after which he stood against the party's leader Erdal İnönü three times but failed to win on all occasions. He became the leader of the inner-party opposition to the leadership. During this period, he served as the co-president of the Turkey-European Union inter-parliamentary committee and was a member of the parliamentary foreign policy committee. Re-establishment of the CHP, 1992 In 1992, with the abandonment of laws prohibiting the re-foundation of former political parties, he led a significant movement and re-established the historical Republican People's Party (CHP), which had been closed down by 1980 military regime. He was elected as the leader of the party. The CHP had entered the 1994 local elections with the political left split between the CHP, SHP and the Democratic Left Party (DSP) of Bülent Ecevit. In a party convention held in February 1995, the CHP formally merged with the SHP, while the DSP refused to consider a merger. Baykal did not stand for the leadership in this convention, with Hikmet Çetin being elected leader of the newly enlarged CHP instead. Coalition government era Baykal was re-elected as leader of the CHP during a convention in September 1995. He formed a coalition with the True Path Party (DYP), with DYP leader Tansu Çiller as Prime Minister. Baykal subsequently became Deputy Prime Minister and the minister of Foreign Affairs. His one condition for going into coalition was holding an early election, which happened in December 1995. The CHP came fifth with just 10.71% of the vote, and the DYP-CHP coalition lost their majority in Parliament. Despite their poor election