He was also a Minister of State during the coalition government led by Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Mesut Yılmaz between 1997 and 1999.
The ANAP-DSP-DTP coalition broke down in 1999 after the Türkbank scandal, with Ecevit forming a DSP-only minority government until the 1999 general election.
During his time as Deputy, he dealt with issues such as the Capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdish militant Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Özkan remained as Deputy Prime Minister, joined by the MHP's Devlet Bahçeli and ANAP's Mesut Yılmaz.
Concerns over Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit's health resulted in rumours that DSP politicians were plotting to oust him as leader.