Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan(born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and currentpresident of Turkeysince 2014. He previously served as the 25thprime ministerfrom 2003 to 2014 as part of theJustice and Development Party(AKP), which he co-founded in 2001. He also served asmayor of Istanbulfrom 1994 to 1998.
Erdoğan was born inBeyoğlu, Istanbul, and studied at theAksaray Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences, before working as a consultant and senior manager in the private sector. Becoming active in local politics, he was electedWelfare Party'sBeyoğludistrict chair in 1984 and Istanbul chair in 1985. Following the1994 local elections, Erdoğan was elected mayor of Istanbul. In 1998 he was convicted for inciting religious hatred and banned from politics after reciting a poem byZiya Gökalpthat compared mosques to barracks and the faithful to an army. Erdoğan was released from prison in 1999 and formed the AKP, abandoning openly Islamist policies.
Erdoğan led the AKP to alandslide victoryin the election for theGrand National Assemblyin 2002, and became prime minister after winning aby-electioninSiirtin 2003. Erdoğan led the AKP to two more election victories in2007and2011. His tenure consisted of economic recovery from theeconomic crisis of 2001, the start ofEU membership negotiations, and the reduction ofmilitary influence on politics. In late 2012, his government beganpeace negotiationswith theKurdistan Workers Party(PKK) to end theKurdish–Turkish conflict, negotiations which ended three years later.
In 2014, Erdoğan became the country'sfirst directly elected president.Erdoğan's presidencyhas been marked bydemocratic backslidingand a shift towards a moreauthoritarianstyle of government. Hiseconomic policieshave led tohigh inflation rates and the depreciation of the valueof theTurkish lira. He has intervened in the ongoing conflicts inSyriaandLibya,launched operationsagainst theIslamic State,Syrian Democratic ForcesandAssad's forcesleading to thefall of the Assad regime, and has made threats againstGreece. He oversaw the transformation of Turkey'sparliamentary systeminto apresidential system, introducingterm limitsand expanding executive powers, andTurkey's migrant crisis. Erdoğan responded to the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraineby closing theBosphorusto Russian naval reinforcements,brokering a deal between Russia and Ukraineregarding the export of grain, and mediating a prisoner exchange.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born on 26 February 1954 in a poorconservative Muslimfamily.Erdoğan's family is originally fromAdjara, a region inGeorgia.Although Erdoğan was reported to have said in 2003 that he was ofGeorgianorigin and that his origins were inBatumi,he later denied this.His parents were Ahmet Erdoğan (1905–1988) and Tenzile Erdoğan (néeMutlu; 1924–2011).
While Erdoğan attended school in Istanbul, his summer holidays were mostly spent inGüneysu, Rize, where his family originates from. Throughout his life he often returned to this spiritual home, and in 2015 he opened a vast mosque on a mountaintop near this village.The family returned to Istanbul when Erdoğan was 13 years old.
As a teenager, Erdoğan's father provided him with a weekly allowance of 2.5 Turkish lira, less than a dollar. With it, Erdoğan bought postcards and resold them on the street. He sold bottles of water to drivers stuck in traffic. Erdoğan also worked as a street vendor sellingsimit(sesame bread rings), wearing a white gown and selling the simit from a red three-wheel cart with the rolls stacked behind glass.In his youth, Erdoğan played semi-professionalfootballin Camialtıspor FC, a local club.Fenerbahçewanted him to transfer to the clubbut his father prevented it.Thestadiumof the local football club in the district where he grew up,Kasımpaşa S.K.is named after him.
Erdoğan is a member of theCommunity of İskenderpaşa, a Turkish Sufistic community ofNaqshbanditariqah.
Erdoğan graduated from Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School in 1965, and the Istanbulİmam Hatip High School, a religious vocational high school, in 1973.The same educational path was followed by other co-founders of theAK Party.One quarter of the curriculum of İmam Hatip schools involves study of theQuran, the life of the Islamic prophetMuhammad, and theArabic language. Erdoğan studied the Quran at the İmam Hatip, where his classmates began calling himhoca("teacher" or "religious official").
Erdoğan attended a meeting of the nationalist student group National Turkish Student Union (Milli Türk Talebe Birliği), who sought to raise a conservative cohort of young people to counter the rising movement of leftists in Turkey. Within the group, Erdoğan was distinguished by his oratorical skills, developing a penchant for public speaking and excelling in front of an audience. He won first place in a poetry-reading competition organized by the Community of Turkish Technical Painters, and began preparing for speeches through reading and research. Erdoğan would later comment on these competitions as "enhancing our courage to speak in front of the masses".
Erdoğan wanted to pursue advanced studies at theAnkara University Faculty of Political Science, commonly known as Mülkiye, but only students with regular high school diplomas were eligible to apply, thereby excluding Imam Hatip graduates. Mülkiye was known for its political science department, which trained many statesmen and politicians in Turkey. Erdoğan was then admitted to Eyüp High School, a regular state school. That he eventually received a high school diploma from this school is a subject of debate.
According to his official biography, Erdoğan subsequently studiedbusiness administrationat the Aksaray School of Economics and Commercial Sciences (Turkish:Aksaray İktisat ve Ticaret Yüksekokulu), now known asMarmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.Both the authenticity and status of his degree have been the subject ofdisputes and controversyover whether the diploma is legitimate and ought to be considered sufficient to make him eligible as a candidate for the presidency.
In 1976, Erdoğan engaged in politics by joining the National Turkish Student Union, ananti-communistaction group. In the same year, he became head of theBeyoğluyouth branch of the IslamistNational Salvation Party(MSP),and was later promoted to chair of the Istanbul youth branch.He held this position until the1980 military coupwhich dissolved all major political parties. He went on to be a consultant and senior executive in the private sector in the aftermath of the coup.
Three years later, in 1983, Erdoğan followed most ofNecmettin Erbakan's followers into the newly foundedWelfare Party(RP). The new party, like its predecessors subscribed to Erbakan's strain ofIslamism, theNational view. He became the party'sBeyoğludistrict chair in 1984, and head of its Istanbul branch in 1985. Erdoğan entered the parliamentary by-elections of 1986 as a candidate in Istanbul's 6th electoral district, but failed to get elected. Three years later, Erdoğan ran for the district mayoralty of Beyoğlu, finishing in second place with 22.8% of the vote.
In the1991 general election, the Welfare Party more than doubled its share of the vote in Istanbul compared to four years prior, reaching 16.7%. At first, Erdoğan, who led his party's district list, was thought to have been elected to parliament. However, as a product of theopen-list proportional representationsystem adopted during the previous term, after all votes expressing a candidate preference were tabulated, it was instead Mustafa Baş who earned the seat allocated to the Welfare Party. A difference of about 4,000 preferential votes separated the two, with Baş's ~13,000 to Erdoğan's ~9,000.
In thelocal elections of 1994, Erdoğan ran as a candidate forMayor of Istanbul. He was a young, dark horse candidate in a crowded field. Over the course of the campaign, he was mocked by the mainstream media and treated as a country bumpkin by his opponents.In an upset, he won with 25.19% of the popular vote, making it the first time a mayor of Istanbul got elected from his political party. His win coincided with a wave of Welfare Party victories nationwide, as they won 28 provincial mayoralties - most out of any party - and numerous metropolitan seats, including the capital, Ankara. He said at the time: "Democracy is like a train: when we reach our destination, we get off".
Erdoğan governed pragmatically, focusing on bread-and-butter issues. He aimed to tackle the chronic problems plaguing the metropolis, such aswater shortage, pollution –waste collection issuesin particular – and severely congested traffic. He undertook an infrastructure overhaul: expanding and modernizing the water grid with hundreds of kilometers of new water pipes being laid, and constructing more than fifty bridges, viaducts, and stretches of highway to mitigate traffic. State-of-the-art recycling facilities were built and air pollution was reduced through a plan to switch to natural gas. He changed thepublic busesto environmentally friendly ones. He took precautions to prevent corruption, using measures to ensure that municipal funds were used prudently. He paid back a major portion of IstanbulMetropolitan Municipality's two-billion-dollar debt and invested four billion dollars in the city.He also opened up City Hall to the people, gave out his e-mail address and established municipal hot lines.
Erdoğan initiated the first roundtable of mayors during theIstanbul conference, which led to a global, organized movement of mayors. A seven-member international jury from the United Nations unanimously awarded Erdoğan theUN-Habitataward.
In December 1997 inSiirt, Erdoğan recited a modified version of the "Soldier's prayer" poem written byZiya Gökalp, apan-Turkishactivist of the early 20th century.This version included an additional stanza in the beginning, its first two verses reading "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets / The minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers...."Underarticle 312/2 of the Turkish penal codehis recitation was regarded by the judge as an incitement to violence and religious or racial hatred.In his defense, Erdoğan said that the poem was published in state-approved books.How this version of the poem ended up in a book published by theTurkish Standards Institutionremained a topic of discussion.
Erdoğan was given a ten-month prison sentence.He was forced to give up his mayoral position due to his conviction. The conviction also stipulated a political ban, which prevented him from participating in elections.He had appealed for the sentence to be converted to a monetary fine, but it was reduced to four months instead (24 March 1999 to 27 July 1999).
He was transferred to Pınarhisar prison inKırklareli. The day Erdoğan went to prison, he released an album calledThis Song Doesn't End Here.The album features a tracklist of seven poems and became the best-selling album of Turkey in 1999, selling over one million copies.In 2013, Erdoğan visited the Pınarhisar prison again for the first time in fourteen years. After the visit, he said "For me, Pınarhisar is a symbol of rebirth, where we prepared the establishment of the Justice and Development Party".
Erdoğan was member of political parties that kept getting banned by the army or judges. Within hisVirtue Party, there was a dispute about the appropriate discourse of the party between traditional politicians and pro-reform politicians. The latter envisioned a party that could operate within the limits of the system, and thus not getting banned as its predecessors likeNational Order Party,National Salvation PartyandWelfare Party. They wanted to give the group the character of an ordinaryconservative partywith its members being Muslim Democrats following the example of the Europe'sChristian Democrats.
When the Virtue Party was also banned in 2001, a definitive split took place: the followers ofNecmettin Erbakanfounded theFelicity Party(SP) and the reformers founded theJustice and Development Party(AKP) under the leadership ofAbdullah Güland Erdoğan. The pro-reform politicians realized that a strictly Islamic party would never be accepted as a governing party by the state apparatus and they believed that an Islamic party did not appeal to more than about 20 percent of the Turkish electorate. The AK party emphatically placed itself as a broad democratic conservative party with new politicians from the political center (likeAli BabacanandMevlüt Çavuşoğlu), while respecting Islamic norms and values, but without an explicit religious program. This turned out to be successful as the new party won 34% of the vote in thegeneral elections of 2002. Erdoğan became prime minister in March 2003 after the Gül government ended his political ban.
The elections of 2002were the first elections in which Erdoğan participated as a party leader. All parties previously elected to parliament failed to win enough votes to re-enter the parliament. The AKP won 34.3% of the national vote and formed the new government. Turkish stocks rose more than 7% on Monday morning. Politicians of the previous generation, such asEcevit,Bahceli,YılmazandÇiller, resigned. The second largest party, the CHP, received 19.4% of the votes. The AKP won a landslide victory in the parliament, taking nearly two-thirds of the seats. Erdoğan could not become Prime Minister as he was still banned from politics by the judiciary for his speech in Siirt. Gül became the Prime Minister instead. In December 2002, the Supreme Election Board canceled the general election results from Siirt due to voting irregularities andscheduled a new election for 9 February 2003. By this time, party leader Erdoğan was able to run for parliament due to a legal change made possible by the opposition Republican People's Party. The AKP duly listed Erdoğan as a candidate for the rescheduled election, which he won, becoming Prime Minister after Gül handed over the post.
On 14 April 2007, an estimated 300,000 people marched inAnkarato protest against the possible candidacy of Erdoğan in the 2007 presidential election, afraid that if elected as president, he would alter the secular nature of the Turkish state.Erdoğan announced on 24 April 2007 that the party had nominatedAbdullah Gülas the AKP candidate in the presidential election.The protests continued over the next several weeks, with over one million people reported to have turned out at a 29 April rally in Istanbul,tens of thousands at separate protests on 4 May inManisaandÇanakkale,and one million inİzmiron 13 May.
The stage of the elections of 2007 was set for a fight for legitimacy in the eyes of voters between his government and the CHP. Erdoğan used the event that took place during the ill-fated Presidential elections a few months earlier as a part of the general election campaign of his party. On 22 July 2007, the AKP won an important victory over the opposition, garnering 46.7% of the popular vote. 22 July elections marked only the second time in the Republic of Turkey's history whereby an incumbent governing party won an election by increasing its share of popular support.On 14 March 2008, Turkey's Chief Prosecutor asked the country's Constitutional Court to ban Erdoğan's governing party.The party escaped a ban on 30 July 2008, a year after winning 46.7% of the vote in national elections, although judges did cut the party's public funding by 50%.
In the June 2011 elections, Erdoğan's governing party won 327 seats (49.83% of the popular vote) making Erdoğan the only prime minister in Turkey's history to win three consecutive general elections, each time receiving more votes than the previous election. The second party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), received 135 seats (25.94%), the nationalist MHP received 53 seats (13.01%), and the Independents received 35 seats (6.58%).
A US$100 billioncorruption scandal in 2013led to the arrests of Erdoğan's close allies, and incriminated Erdoğan.
After the opposition parties deadlocked the 2007 presidential election by boycotting the parliament, the ruling AKP proposed a constitutional reform package. The reform package was first vetoed byPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Then he applied to the Turkish constitutional court about the reform package, because the president is unable to veto amendments for the second time. The Turkish constitutional court did not find any problems in the packet and 68.95% of the voters supported the constitutional changes.The reforms consisted of electing the president by popular vote instead of by parliament; reducing the presidential term from seven years to five; allowing the president to stand for re-election for a second term; holding general elections every four years instead of five; and reducing from 367 to 184 the quorum of lawmakers needed for parliamentary decisions.
Reforming the Constitution was one of the main pledges of the AKP during the 2007 election campaign. The main opposition party CHP was not interested in altering the Constitution on a big scale, making it impossible to form aConstitutional Commission(Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu).The amendments lacked the two-thirds majority needed to become law instantly, but secured 336 votes in the 550-seat parliament – enough to put the proposals to a referendum. The reform package included a number of issues such as the right of individuals to appeal to the highest court, the creation of theombudsman's office; the possibility to negotiate a nationwide labour contract; gender equality; the ability of civilian courts to convict members of the military; the right of civil servants to go on strike; a privacy law; and the structure of theConstitutional Court. The referendum was agreed by a majority of 58%.
In 2009, Prime Minister Erdoğan's government announced a plan to help end the quarter-century-longTurkey–Kurdistan Workers' Party conflictthat had cost more than 40,000 lives. The government's plan, supported by theEuropean Union, intended to allow theKurdish languageto be used in all broadcast media and political campaigns, and restored Kurdish names to cities and towns that had beengiven Turkish ones.Erdoğan said, "We took a courageous step to resolve chronic issues that constitute an obstacle along Turkey's development, progression and empowerment."Erdoğan passed a partial amnesty to reduce penalties faced by many members of the Kurdish guerrilla movementPKKwho had surrendered to the government.On 23 November 2011, during a televised meeting of his party in Ankara, he apologized on behalf of the state for theDersim massacre, where manyAlevisandZazaswere killed.In 2013 the government of Erdoğan began apeace processbetween theKurdistan Workers' Party(PKK) and the Turkish Government,mediated by parliamentarians of thePeoples' Democratic party(HDP).
In 2015, following AKP electoral defeat, the rise of asocial democrat, pro-Kurdish rights opposition party, and the minorCeylanpınar incident, he decided that the peace process was over and supported the revocation of the parliamentary immunity of the HDP parliamentarians.Violent confrontation resumed in 2015–2017, mainly in the South East of Turkey, resulting in higher death tolls andseveral external operationson the part of the Turkish military. Representatives and elected HDP have been systematically arrested, removed, and replaced in their offices, this tendency being confirmed after the2016 Turkish coup attemptandthe following purges. Six thousand additional deaths occurred in Turkey alone for 2015–2022.  Yet, as of 2022 theintensity of the PKK-Turkey conflictdid decrease in recent years.In the previous decade, Erdoğan and the AKP government used anti-PKK, martial rhetoric and external operations to raise Turkish nationalist votes before elections.
Erdoğan has said multiple times that Turkey would acknowledge themass killings of Armenians during World War Iasgenocideonly after a thorough investigation by a joint Turkish-Armenian commission consisting of historians,archaeologists,political scientistsand other experts.In 2005, Erdoğan and themain oppositionparty leaderDeniz Baykalwrote a letter toPresident of ArmeniaRobert Kocharyan, proposing the creation of a joint Turkish-Armenian commission.Armenian Foreign MinisterVartan Oskanianrejected the offer because he asserted that the proposal itself was "insincere and not serious". He added: "This issue cannot be considered at historical level with Turks, who themselves politicized the problem."
In December 2008, Erdoğan criticized theI Apologize campaignby Turkish intellectuals to recognize the Armenian genocide, saying, "I neither accept nor support this campaign. We did not commit a crime, therefore we do not need to apologise ... It will not have any benefit other than stirring up trouble, disturbing our peace and undoing the steps which have been taken."
In 2011, Erdoğan ordered the tearing-down of the 33-meter-tall (108 ft)Monument to Humanity, a Turkish–Armenian friendship monument inKars, which was commissioned in 2006 and represented a metaphor of the rapprochement of the two countries after many years of dispute over the events of 1915. Erdoğan justified the removal by stating that the monument was offensively close to the tomb of an 11th-century Islamic scholar, and that its shadow ruined the view of that site, while Kars municipality officials said it was illegally erected in a protected area. However, the former mayor of Kars who approved the original construction of the monument said the municipality was destroying not just a "monument to humanity" but "humanity itself". The demolition was not unopposed; among its detractors were several Turkish artists. Two of them, the painter Bedri Baykam and his associate, Pyramid Art Gallery general coordinator Tugba Kurtulmus, were stabbed after a meeting with other artists at the Istanbul Akatlar cultural center.
On 23 April 2014, Erdoğan's office issued a statement in nine languages (including two dialects of Armenian), offering condolences for the mass killings of Armenians and stating that the events of 1915 had inhumane consequences. The statement described the mass killings as the two nations' shared pain and said: "Having experienced events which had inhumane consequences – such as relocation – during the First World War, (it) should not prevent Turks and Armenians from establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes among  one another."
Pope Francisin April 2015, at a specialmassinSt. Peter's Basilicamarking the centenary of the events, described atrocities against Armenian civilians in 1915–1922 as "the first genocide of the 20th century". In protest, Erdoğan recalled the Turkish ambassador from the Vatican, and summoned the Vatican's ambassador, to express "disappointment" at what he called a discriminatory message. He later stated "we don't carry a stain or a shadow like genocide". US PresidentBarack Obamacalled for a "full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts", but again stopped short of labelling it "genocide", despite his campaign promise to do so.
During Erdoğan's time as Prime Minister, the far-reaching powers of the1991 Anti-Terror Lawwere reduced. In 2004, thedeath penaltywas abolished for all circumstances.TheDemocratic initiative processwas initiated, with the goal to improve democratic standards in general and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in particular. In 2012, theHuman Rights and Equality Institution of Turkeyand theOmbudsman Institutionwere established. TheUN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torturewas ratified. Children are no longer prosecuted under terrorism legislation.The Jewish community were allowed to celebrateHanukkahpublicly for the first time in modern Turkish history in 2015.The Turkish government approved a law in 2008 to return properties confiscated in the past by the state to non-Muslim foundations.It also paved the way for the free allocation of worship places such as synagogues and churches to non-Muslim foundations.However, European officials noted a return to more authoritarian ways after the stalling of Turkey's bid to join theEuropean Unionnotably onfreedom of speech,freedom of the pressandKurdish minority rights.Demands by activists for the recognition ofLGBT rightswere publicly rejected by government members.
Reporters Without Bordersreported a continuous decrease in Freedom of the Press during Erdoğan's later terms, with a rank of around 100 on itsPress Freedom Indexduring his first term and a rank of 153 out of a total of 179 countries in 2021.Freedom Housereported a slight recovery in later years and awarded Turkey a Press Freedom Score of 55/100 in 2012 after a low point of 48/100 in 2006.
In 2011, Erdoğan's government made legal reforms to return properties of Christian and Jewish minorities which were seized by the Turkish government in the 1930s.The total value of the properties returned reached $2 billion (USD).
Under Erdoğan, the Turkish government tightened thelaws on the sale and consumption of alcohol, banning all advertising and increasing the tax on alcoholic beverages.
In 2002, Erdoğan inherited aTurkish economythat was beginning to recover from a recession as a result of reforms implemented byKemal Derviş.Erdoğan supported Finance MinisterAli Babacanin enforcing macro-economic policies. Erdoğan tried to attract more foreign investors to Turkey and lifted many government regulations. The cash-flow into the Turkish economy between 2002 and 2012 caused a growth of 64% in real GDP and a 43% increase in GDP per capita; considerably higher numbers were commonly advertised but these did not account for the inflation of the US dollar between 2002 and 2012.The average annual growth in GDP per capita was 3.6%. The growth in real GDP between 2002 and 2012 was higher than the values from developed countries, but was close to average when developing countries are also taken into account. The ranking of the Turkish economy in terms of GDP moved slightly from 17 to 16 during this decade. A major consequence of the policies between 2002 and 2012 was the widening of the current account deficit from US$600 million to US$58 billion (2013 est.)
Since 1961, Turkey has signed 19 IMF loan accords. Erdoğan's government satisfied the budgetary and market requirements of the two during his administration and received every loan installment, the only time any Turkish government has done so.Erdoğan inherited a debt of $23.5 billion to the IMF, which was reduced to $0.9 billion in 2012. He decided not to sign a new deal. Turkey's debt to the IMF was thus declared to be completely paid and he announced that the IMF could borrow from Turkey.In 2010, five-yearcredit default swapsfor Turkey's sovereign debt were trading at a record low of 1.17%, below those of nine EU member countries and Russia. In 2002, theTurkish Central Bankhad $26.5 billion in reserves. This amount reached $92.2 billion in 2011. During Erdoğan's leadership, inflation fell from 32% to 9.0% in 2004. Since then, Turkish inflation has continued to fluctuate around 9% and is still one of the highest inflation rates in the world.The Turkish public debt as a percentage of annual GDP declined from 74% in 2002 to 39% in 2009. In 2012, Turkey had a lower ratio of public debt to GDP than 21 of 27 members of the European Union and a lower budget deficit to GDP ratio than 23 of them.
In 2003, Erdoğan's government pushed through the Labor Act, a comprehensive reform of Turkey's labor laws. The law greatly expanded the rights of employees, establishing a 45-hour workweek and limiting overtime work to 270 hours a year, provided legal protection against discrimination due to sex, religion, or political affiliation, prohibited discrimination between permanent and temporary workers, entitled employees terminated without "valid cause" to compensation, and mandated written contracts for employment arrangements lasting a year or more.
Erdoğan increased the budget of theMinistry of Educationfrom 7.5 billion lira in 2002 to 34 billion lira in 2011, the highest share of the national budget given to one ministry.Before his prime ministership the military received the highest share of the national budget.Compulsory educationwas increased from eight years to twelve.In 2003, the Turkish government, together withUNICEF, initiated a campaign called "Come on girls, [let's go] to school!" (Turkish:Haydi Kızlar Okula!). The goal of this campaign was to close thegender gapin primary school enrollment through the provision of a quality basic education for all girls, especially in southeast Turkey.
In 2005, the parliament granted amnesty to students expelled from universities before 2003. The amnesty applied to students dismissed on academic or disciplinary grounds.In 2004, textbooks became free of charge and since 2008every province in Turkeyhas its own university.During Erdoğan's Premiership, the number ofuniversities in Turkeynearly doubled, from 98 in 2002 to 186 in October 2012.
The Prime Minister kept his campaign promises by starting theFatih projectin which all state schools, from preschool to high school level, received a total of 620,000 smart boards, while tablet computers were distributed to 17 million students and approximately one million teachers and administrators.
In June 2017 a draft proposal by the ministry of education was approved by Erdoğan, in which the curriculum for schools excluded the teaching of the theory ofevolution of Charles Darwinby 2019. From then on the teaching will be postponed and start at undergraduate level.
Under Erdoğan's government, the number ofairports in Turkeyincreased from 26 to 50 in the period of 10 years.Between the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 and 2002, there had been 6,000 km ofdual carriagewayroads created. Between 2002 and 2011, another 13,500 km of expressway were built. Due to these measures, the number of motor accidents fell by 50 percent.For the first time in Turkish history,high speed railway lineswere constructed, and the country'shigh-speed train servicebegan in 2009.In 8 years, 1,076 km of railway were built and 5,449 km of railway renewed. The construction ofMarmaray, an undersea rail tunnel under theBosphorus strait, started in 2004. It was inaugurated on the 90th anniversary of the Turkish Republic 29 October 2013.The inauguration of theYavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over theBosphorus, was on 26 August 2016.
In March 2006, theSupreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors(HSYK) held a press conference to publicly protest the obstruction of the appointment of judges to the high courts for over 10 months. The HSYK said Erdoğan wanted to fill the vacant posts with his own appointees. Erdoğan was accused of creating a rift with Turkey's highest court of appeal, theYargıtay, and high administrative court, theDanıştay. Erdoğan stated that the constitution gave the power to assign these posts to his elected party.
In May 2007, the head of Turkey's High Court asked prosecutors to consider whether Erdoğan should be charged over critical comments regarding the election ofAbdullah Gülas president.Erdoğan said the ruling was "a disgrace to the justice system", and criticized theConstitutional Courtwhich had invalidated a presidential vote because a boycott by other parties meant there was noquorum. Prosecutors investigated his earlier comments, including saying it had fired a "bullet at democracy".Tülay Tuğcu, head of the Constitutional Court, condemned Erdoğan for "threats, insults and hostility" towards the justice system.
The Turkish military has had a record of intervening in politics, having removed elected governmentsfour times in the past. During the Erdoğan government, civil–military relationship moved towards normalization in which the influence of the military in politics was significantly reduced.The ruling Justice and Development Party has often faced off against the military, gaining political power by challenging a pillar of the country's laicistic establishment.
The most significant issue that caused deep fissures between the army and the government was the midnighte-memorandumposted on the military's website objecting to the selection ofForeign MinisterAbdullah Gülas the ruling party'scandidate for the Presidencyin 2007. The military argued that the election of Gül, whose wife wears anIslamic headscarf, could undermine the laicistic order of the country. Contrary to expectations, the government responded harshly to former Chief of General Staff Gen.Yaşar Büyükanıt's e-memorandum, stating the military had nothing to do with the selection of the presidential candidate.
After assuming power in 2003, Erdoğan's government embarked on a sweeping reform program of the Turkish healthcare system, called the Health Transformation Program (HTP), to greatly increase the quality of healthcare and protect all citizens from financial risks. Its introduction coincided with the period of sustained economic growth, allowing the Turkish government to put greater investments into the healthcare system. As part of the reforms, the "Green Card" program, which provides health benefits to the poor, was expanded in 2004.The reform program aimed at increasing the ratio of private to state-run healthcare, which, along with long queues in state-run hospitals, resulted in the rise of private medical care in Turkey, forcing state-run hospitals to compete by increasing quality.
In April 2006, Erdoğan unveiled a social security reform package demanded by theInternational Monetary Fundunder a loan deal. The move, which Erdoğan called one of the most radical reforms ever, was passed with fierce opposition. Turkey's three social security bodies were united under one roof, bringing equal health services and retirement benefits for members of all three bodies. The previous system had been criticized for reserving the best healthcare for civil servants and relegating others to wait in long queues. Under the second bill, everyone under the age of 18 years was entitled to free health services, irrespective of whether they pay premiums to any social security organization. The bill also envisages a gradual increase in the retirement age: starting from 2036, the retirement age will increase to 65 by 2048 for both women and men.
In January 2008, the Turkish Parliament adopted a law to prohibit smoking in most public places. Erdoğan is outspokenly anti-smoking.
Turkish foreign policy during Erdoğan's tenure as prime minister has been associated with the name ofAhmet Davutoğlu. Davutoğlu was the chief foreign policy advisor of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before he was appointed foreign minister in 2009. The basis of Erdoğan's foreign policy is based on the principle of "don't make enemies, make friends"and the pursuit of "zero problems" with neighboring countries.
Erdoğan is co-founder ofUnited NationsAlliance of Civilizations(AOC). The initiative seeks to galvanize international action againstextremismthrough the forging of international, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and cooperation.
When Erdoğan came to power, he continued Turkey's long ambition of joining theEuropean Union. Turkey, under Erdoğan, made many strides in its laws that would qualify for EU membership.On 3 October 2005 negotiations began forTurkey's accession to the European Union.Erdoğan was named "The European of the Year 2004" by the newspaperEuropean Voicefor the reforms in his country in order to accomplish the accession of Turkey to the European Union. He said in a comment that "Turkey's accession shows that Europe is a continent where civilisations reconcile and not clash."On 3 October 2005, the negotiations for Turkey's accession to the EU formally started during Erdoğan's tenure as Prime Minister.
TheEuropean Commissiongenerally supports Erdoğan's reforms, but it remains critical of his policies. Negotiations about a possibleEUmembership came to a standstill in 2009 and 2010, when Turkish ports were closed to Cypriot ships. The Turkish government continues its refusal to recognizeEU member stateCyprus.
Relations between Greece and Turkey were normalized during Erdoğan's tenure as prime minister. In May 2004, Erdoğan became the first Turkish Prime Minister to visit Greece since 1988, and the first to visit theTurkish minorityofThracesince 1952. In 2007, Erdoğan and Greek Prime MinisterKostas Karamanlisinaugurated the Greek-Turkish natural gas pipeline giving Caspian gas its first direct Western outlet.Turkey and Greece signed an agreement to create a Combined Joint Operational Unit within the framework of NATO to participate in Peace Support Operations.Erdoğan and his party strongly supported theEU-backed referendumto reunify Cyprus in 2004.Negotiations about a possible EU membership came to a standstill in 2009 and 2010, when Turkish ports were closed to Cypriot ships as a consequence of the economic isolation of the internationally unrecognizedTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprusand the failure of the EU to end the isolation, as it had promised in 2004.The Turkish government continues its refusal to recognize the Republic of Cyprus.
Armeniais Turkey's only neighbor which Erdoğan has not visited during his premiership. The Turkish-Armenian border has been closed since 1993 because of theNagorno-Karabakh conflictwith Turkey's close allyAzerbaijan.
Diplomatic efforts resulted in thesigning of protocolsbetween Turkish and Armenian Foreign Ministers in Switzerland to improve relations between the two countries. One of the points of the agreement was the creation of a joint commission on the issue. TheArmenian Constitutional Courtdecided that the commission contradicts theArmenian constitution. Turkey responded saying that Armenian court's ruling on the protocols is not acceptable, resulting in a suspension of the rectification process by the Turkish side.
Erdoğan has said that Armenian PresidentSerzh Sargsyanshould apologize for calling on school children to re-occupy eastern Turkey. When asked by a student at a literature contest ceremony if Armenians will be able to get back their "western territories" along with Mt. Ararat, Sarksyan said, "This is the task of your generation".
In December 2004,PresidentPutinvisited Turkey, making it the first presidential visit in the history of Turkish-Russian relations besides that of the Chairman of theSupreme Soviet of the USSR,Nikolai Podgornyin 1972. In November 2005, Putin attended the inauguration of a jointly constructedBlue Streamnatural gas pipeline in Turkey. This sequence of top-level visits has brought several important bilateral issues to the forefront. The two countries consider it their strategic goal to achieve "multidimensional co-operation", especially in the fields of energy, transport and the military. Specifically, Russia aims to invest in Turkey's fuel and energy industries, and it also expects to participate in tenders for the modernization of Turkey's military.The relations during this time are described by PresidentMedvedevas "Turkey is one of our most important partners with respect to regional and international issues. We can confidently say that Russian-Turkish relations have advanced to the level of a multidimensional strategic partnership".
In May 2010, Turkey and Russia signed 17 agreements to enhance cooperation in energy and other fields, including pacts to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant and further plans for an oil pipeline from theBlack Seato theMediterranean Sea. The leaders of both countries also signed an agreement on visa-free travel, enabling tourists to get into the other country for free and stay there for up to 30 days.
WhenBarack ObamabecamePresident of United States, he madehis first overseas bilateral meeting to Turkeyin April 2009.
At a joint news conference in Turkey, Obama said: "I'm trying to make a statement about the importance of Turkey, not just to the United States but to the world. I think that where there's the most promise of building strongerU.S.-Turkish relationsis in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantlyChristiannation, a predominantlyMuslimnation – aWesternnation and a nation that straddles two continents," he continued, "that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous, that there are not tensions – inevitable tensions between cultures – which I think is extraordinarily important."
Turkey under Erdoğan was named by theBush Administrationas a part of the "coalition of the willing" that was central to the2003 invasion of Iraq.On 1 March 2003, a motion allowing Turkish military to participate in the U.S.-led coalition's invasion of Iraq, along with the permission for foreign troops to be stationed in Turkey for this purpose, was overruled by the Turkish Parliament.
After the fall ofSaddam Hussein,Iraqand Turkey signed 48 trade agreements on issues including security, energy, and water. The Turkish government attempted to mend relations withIraqi Kurdistanby opening a Turkish university inErbil, and a Turkish consulate inMosul.Erdoğan's government fostered economic and political relations withIrbil, and Turkey began to consider theKurdistan Regional Governmentin northern Iraq as an ally against Maliki's government.
Erdoğan visited Israel on 1 May 2005, a gesture unusual for a leader of a Muslim majority country.During his trip, Erdoğan visited theYad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of theHolocaust.ThePresident of IsraelShimon Peresaddressed the Turkish parliament during a visit in 2007, the first time an Israeli leader had addressed the legislature of a predominantly Muslim nation.
Their relationship worsened at the 2009World Economic Forumconference over Israel's actions during theGaza War.Erdoğan was interrupted by the moderator while he was responding to Peres. Erdoğan stated: "Mister Peres, you are older than I am. Maybe you are feeling guilty and that is why you are raising your voice. When it comes to killing you know it too well. I remember how you killed the children on beaches..." Upon the moderator's reminder that they needed to adjourn for dinner, Erdoğan left the panel, accusing the moderator of giving Peres more time than all the other panelists combined.
Tensions increased further following theGaza flotilla raidin May 2010. Erdoğan strongly condemned the raid, describing it as "state terrorism", and demanded an Israeli apology.In February 2013, Erdoğan calledZionisma "crime against humanity", comparing it to Islamophobia, antisemitism, and fascism.He later retracted the statement, saying he had been misinterpreted. He said "everyone should know" that his comments were directed at "Israeli policies", especially as regards to "Gaza and the settlements".Erdoğan's statements were criticized byUN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon, among others.In August 2013, theHürriyetreported that Erdoğan had claimed to have evidence of Israel's responsibility for theremoval of Morsi from office in Egypt.The Israeli and Egyptian governments dismissed the suggestion.
In response to the2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Erdoğan accused Israel of conducting "state terrorism" and a"genocide attempt" against the Palestinians.He also stated that "If Israel continues with this attitude, it will definitely be tried at international courts."
During Erdoğan's term of office, diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria significantly deteriorated. In 2004, PresidentBashar al-Assadarrived in Turkey for the first official visit by a Syrian President in 57 years. In late 2004, Erdoğan signed a free trade agreement with Syria. Visa restrictions between the two countries were lifted in 2009, which caused an economic boom in the regions near the Syrian border.However, in 2011 the relationship between the two countries was strained following the outbreak ofconflict in Syria. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was trying to "cultivate a favorable relationship with whatever government would take the place of Assad".However, he began to support the opposition in Syria, after demonstrations turned violent, creating a serious Syrian refugee problem in Turkey.Erdoğan's policy of providing military training for anti-Damascus fighters has also created conflict with Syria's ally and a neighbour of Turkey, Iran.
In August 2006,King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as-Saudmade a visit to Turkey. This was the first visit by aSaudimonarch to Turkey in the last four decades. The monarch made a second visit, on 9 November 2007. Turk-Saudi trade volume has exceededUS$3.2 billion in 2006, almost double the figure achieved in 2003. In 2009, this amount reachedUS$5.5 billion and the goal for the year 2010 wasUS$10 billion.
Erdoğan condemned theSaudi-led intervention in Bahrainand characterized the Saudi movement as "a newKarbala". He demanded withdrawal of Saudi forces fromBahrain.
Erdoğan had made his first official visit toEgypton 12 September 2011, accompanied by six ministers and 200 businessmen.This visit was made very soon after Turkey had ejected Israeli ambassadors, cutting off all diplomatic relations with Israel because Israel refused to apologize for theGaza flotilla raidwhich killed eight Turkish and one Turco-American.
Erdoğan's visit to Egypt was met with much enthusiasm byEgyptians.CNNreported some Egyptians saying "We consider him as the Islamic leader in the Middle East", while others were appreciative of his role in supporting Gaza.Erdoğan was later honoured in Tahrir Square by members of the Egyptian Revolution Youth Union, and members of the Turkish embassy were presented with a coat of arms in acknowledgment of the Prime Minister's support of the Egyptian Revolution.
Erdoğan stated in a 2011 interview that he supported secularism for Egypt, which generated an angry reaction among Islamic movements, especially theFreedom and Justice Party, which was the political wing of theMuslim Brotherhood.However, commentators suggest that by forming an alliance with the military junta during Egypt's transition to democracy, Erdoğan may have tipped the balance in favor of an authoritarian government.
Erdoğan condemned thesit-in dispersalsconducted by Egyptian police on 14 August 2013 at theRabaa al-Adawiyaand al-Nahda squares, where violent clashes between police officers and pro-Morsi Islamist protesters led to hundreds of deaths, mostly protesters.In July 2014, one year after the removal ofMohamed Morsifrom office, Erdoğan described Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisias an "illegitimate tyrant".
Erdoğan's administration maintains strong ties with the Somali government. During thedrought of 2011, Erdoğan's government contributed over $201 million to humanitarian relief efforts in the impacted parts of Somalia.Following a greatly improved security situation inMogadishuin mid-2011, the Turkish government also re-opened its foreign embassy with the intention of more effectively assisting in the post-conflict development process.It was among the first foreign governments to resume formal diplomatic relations with Somalia after the civil war.
In May 2010, the Turkish and Somali governments signed a military training agreement, in keeping with the provisions outlined in the Djibouti Peace Process.Turkish Airlinesbecame the first long-distance international commercial airline in two decades to resume flights to and from Mogadishu'sAden Adde International Airport.Turkey also launched various development and infrastructure projects in Somalia including building several hospitals and helping renovate the National Assembly building.
The 2013Gezi Park protestswere held against the perceivedauthoritarianismof Erdoğan and his policies, starting from a small sit-in inIstanbulin defense of acity park.After thepolice's intense reaction withtear gas, the protests grew each day. Faced by the largest mass protest in a decade, Erdoğan made this controversial remark in a televised speech: "The police were there yesterday, they are there today, and they will be there tomorrow". After weeks of clashes in the streets ofIstanbul, his government at first apologized to the protestorsand called for aplebiscite, but then ordered a crackdown on the protesters.
Erdoğan took the oath of office on 28 August 2014 and became the 12thpresident of Turkey.He administered the new Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu's oath on 29 August. When asked about his lower-than-expected 51.79% share of the vote, he allegedly responded, "there were even those who did not like theProphet. I, however, won 52%".Assuming the role of President, Erdoğan was criticized for openly stating that he would not maintain the tradition of presidential neutrality.Erdoğan has also stated his intention to pursue a more active role as president, such as utilizing the President's rarely used cabinet-calling powers.The political opposition has argued that Erdoğan will continue to pursue his own political agenda, controlling the government, while his new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu would be docile and submissive.Furthermore, the domination of loyal Erdoğan supporters in Davutoğlu'scabinetfuelled speculation that Erdoğan intended to exercise substantial control over the government.
On 1 July 2014, Erdoğan was named theAKP's presidential candidate in theTurkish presidential election. His candidacy was announced by the Deputy President of the AKP,Mehmet Ali Şahin.
Erdoğan made a speech after the announcement and used the 'Erdoğan logo' for the first time. The logo was criticized because it was very similar to the logo that U.S. PresidentBarack Obamaused in the2008 presidential election.
Erdoğan was elected as the President of Turkey in the first round of the election with 51.79% of the vote, obviating the need for a run-off by winning over 50%. The joint candidate of theCHP,MHPand 13 other opposition parties, formerOrganisation of Islamic Co-operationgeneral secretaryEkmeleddin İhsanoğluwon 38.44% of the vote. The pro-KurdishHDPcandidateSelahattin Demirtaşwon 9.76%.
The 2018 Turkish presidential election took place as part of the2018 general election, alongsideparliamentary electionson the same day. Following the approval of constitutional changes in areferendumheld in 2017, the electedPresidentwill be both thehead of stateandhead of governmentof Turkey, taking over the latter role from the to-be-abolished office of thePrime Minister.
Incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his candidacy for thePeople's Alliance(Turkish:Cumhur İttifakı) on 27 April 2018,being supported by the MHP.Erdoğan's main opposition, theRepublican People's Party, nominatedMuharrem İnce, a member of the parliament known for his combative opposition and spirited speeches against Erdoğan.Besides these candidates,Meral Akşener, the founder and leader ofGood Party,Temel Karamollaoğlu, the leader of theFelicity PartyandDoğu Perinçek, the leader of thePatriotic Party, have announced their candidacies and collected the 100,000 signatures required for nomination. The alliance which Erdoğan was candidate for won 52.59% of the popular vote.
For thepresidential election 2023his candidacy is in dispute as he has launched his campaign in June 2022,but the opposition contends a third presidential term would violate theconstitution.During the first round of ballots in the 2023 Presidential Election, Erdoğan failed to cross the 50% threshold, resulting in a second runoff election againstKemal Kılıçdaroğlu.On 28 May 2023 Erdoğan won the second round with 52.14% of the vote, with over 99% of the total vote counted.
On March 8, 2024, he declared that he would retire once his presidential term ended in 2028.
In April 2017, aconstitutional referendumwas held, where the voters in Turkey (and Turkish citizens abroad) approved a set of 18 proposed amendments to the Constitution of Turkey.The amendments included the replacement of the existingparliamentary systemwith apresidential system. The post ofPrime Ministerwould be abolished, and the presidency would become anexecutive postvested with broad executive powers. The parliament seats would be increased from 550 to 600 and theage of candidacyto the parliament was lowered from 25 to 18. The referendum also called for changes to theSupreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors.
In the2019 local elections, the ruling party AKP lost control of Istanbul and Ankara for the first time in 25 years, as well as 5 of Turkey's 6 largest cities. The loss has been widely attributed to Erdoğan's mismanagement of the Turkish economic crisis, rising authoritarianism as well as the alleged government inaction on theSyrian refugee crisis.Soon after the elections,Supreme Electoral Council of Turkeyordered are-election in Istanbul, cancellingEkrem İmamoğlu's mayoral certificate. The decision led to a significant decrease of Erdoğan's and AKP's popularity and his party lost the elections again in June with a greater margin.The result was seen as a huge blow to Erdoğan, who had once said that if his party 'lost Istanbul, we would lose Turkey. The opposition's victory was characterised as 'the beginning of the end' for Erdoğan',with international commentators calling the re-run a huge government miscalculation that led to a potential İmamoğlu candidacy in the next scheduledpresidential election.It is suspected that the scale of the government's defeat could provoke a cabinet reshuffle and early general elections, currently scheduled for June 2023.
The New Zealand and Australian governments and oppositionCHPparty have criticized Erdoğan after he repeatedly showed video taken by theChristchurch mosque shooterto his supporters at campaign rallies for31 March local electionsand said Australians and New Zealanders who came to Turkey with anti-Muslim sentiments "would be sent back in coffins like their grandfathers" atGallipoli.
Erdoğan has also received criticism for the construction of a new official residence called thePresidential Complex, which takes up approximately 50 acres ofAtatürk Forest Farm(AOÇ) inAnkara.Since the AOÇ is protected land, several court orders were issued to halt the construction of the new palace, though building work went on nonetheless.The opposition described the move as a clear disregard for the rule of law.The project was subject to heavy criticism and allegations were made; of corruption during the construction process, wildlife destruction and the complete obliteration of the zoo in the AOÇ in order to make way for the new compound.The fact that the palace is technically illegal has led to it being branded as the 'Kaç-Ak Saray', the wordkaçakin Turkish meaning 'illegal'.
Ak Saray was originally designed as a new office for the Prime Minister. However, upon assuming the presidency, Erdoğan announced that the palace would become the new Presidential Palace, while theÇankaya Mansionwill be used by the Prime Minister instead. The move was seen as a historic change since theÇankaya Mansionhad been used as the iconic office of the presidency ever since its inception. ThePresidential Complexhas almost 1,000 rooms and cost $350 million (€270 million), leading to strong criticism at a time when mining accidents and workers' rights had been dominating the agenda.
On 29 October 2014, Erdoğan was due to hold aRepublic Dayreception in the new palace to commemorate the 91st anniversary of theRepublic of Turkeyand to officially inaugurate thePresidential Palace. However, after most invited participants announced that they would boycott the event and a mining accident occurred in the district ofErmenekinKaraman, the reception was cancelled.
President Erdoğan and his government continue to press for court action against the remaining free press in Turkey. The latest newspaper that has been seized isZaman, in March 2016.After the seizureMorton AbramowitzandEric Edelman, former U.S. ambassadors to Turkey, condemned President Erdoğan's actions in an opinion piece published byThe Washington Post: "Clearly, democracy cannot flourish under Erdoğan now"."The overall pace of reforms in Turkey has not only slowed down but in some key areas, such as freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary, there has been a regression, which is particularly worrying", rapporteurKati Pirisaid in April 2016 afterthe European Parliamentpassed its annual progress report on Turkey.
On 22 June 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he considered himself successful in "destroying" Turkish civil groups "working against the state",a conclusion that had been confirmed some days earlier bySedat Laçiner, Professor of International Relations and rector of theÇanakkale Onsekiz Mart University: "Outlawing unarmed and peaceful opposition, sentencing people to unfair punishment under erroneous terror accusations, will feed genuine terrorism in Erdoğan's Turkey. Guns and violence will become the sole alternative for legally expressing free thought".
After the coup attempt, over 200 journalists were arrested and over 120 media outlets were closed.Cumhuriyetjournalists were detained in November 2016 after a long-standing crackdown on the newspaper. Subsequently,Reporters Without Borderscalled Erdoğan an "enemy of press freedom" and said that he "hides his aggressive dictatorship under a veneer of democracy".
In 2014, Turkey temporarily blocked access toTwitter.In April 2017, Turkeyblocked all access to Wikipediaover a content dispute.The Turkish government lifted a two-and-a-half-year ban on Wikipedia on 15 January 2020, restoring access to the online encyclopedia a month afterTurkey's top courtruled that blocking Wikipedia was unconstitutional.
On 1 July 2020, in a statement made to his party members, Erdoğan announced that the government would introduce new measures and regulations to control or shut down social media platforms such asYouTube, Twitter andNetflix. Through these new measures, each company would be required to appoint an official representative in the country to respond to legal concerns. The decision came after a number of Twitter users insulted his daughterEsraafter she gave birth to her fourth child.
On 20 July 2016, President Erdoğan declared thestate of emergency, citing the coup d'état attempt as justification.It was first scheduled to last three months. The Turkish parliament approved this measure.The state of emergency was later continuously extended until 2018amidst the ongoing2016 Turkish purgesincludingcomprehensive purges of independent mediaand detention of tens of thousands of Turkish citizens politically opposed to Erdoğan.More than 50,000 people have been arrested and over 160,000 fired from their jobs by March 2018.
In August 2016, Erdoğan began rounding up journalists who had been publishing, or who were about to publish articles questioning corruption within the Erdoğan administration, and incarcerating them.The number of Turkish journalists jailed by Turkey is higher than any other country, including all of those journalists currently jailed in North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and China combined.In the wake of thecoup attempt of July 2016the Erdoğan administration began rounding up tens of thousands of individuals, both from within the government, and from the public sector, and incarcerating them on charges of alleged "terrorism".As a result of these arrests, many in the international community complained about the lack of proper judicial process in the incarceration of Erdoğan's opposition.
In April 2017 Erdoğan successfully sponsored legislation effectively making it illegal for the Turkish legislative branch to investigate his executive branch of government.Without the checks and balances of freedom of speech, and the freedom of the Turkish legislature to hold him accountable for his actions, many have likened Turkey's current form of government to a dictatorship with only nominal forms of democracy in practice.At the time of Erdoğan's successful passing of the most recent legislation silencing his opposition,United States PresidentDonald Trumpcalled Erdoğan to congratulate him for his "recent referendum victory".
On 29 April 2017 Erdoğan's administration began an internalInternet blockof all of theWikipediaonline encyclopedia site via Turkey's domestic Internet filtering system.  This blocking action took place after the government had first made a request for Wikipedia to remove what it referred to as "offensive content". In response, Wikipedia co-founderJimmy Walesreplied via a post onTwitterstating, "Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people, I will always stand with you and fight for this right."
In January 2016, morethan a thousand academicssigned a petition criticizing Turkey's military crackdown on ethnic Kurdish towns and neighborhoods in the east of the country, such as Sur (a district ofDiyarbakır),Silvan,Nusaybin,CizreandSilopi, and asking an end to violence.Erdoğan accused those who signed the petition of "terrorist propaganda", calling them "the darkest of people". He called for action by institutions and universities, stating, "Everyone who benefits from this state but is now an enemy of the state must be punished without further delay".Within days, over 30 of the signatories were arrested, many in dawn-time raids on their homes. Although all were quickly released, nearly half were fired from their jobs, eliciting a denunciation from Turkey's Science Academy for such "wrong and disturbing" treatment.Erdoğan vowed that the academics would pay the price for "falling into a pit of treachery".
On 8 July 2018, Erdoğan sacked 18,000 officials for alleged ties to US based clericFethullah Gülen, shortly before renewing his term as anexecutive president. Of those removed, 9000 were police officers with 5000 from the armed forces with the addition of hundreds of academics.
Under his presidency, Erdoğan has decreased the independence of theCentral Bankand pushed it to pursue a highly unorthodox monetary policy, decreasing interest rates even with high inflation.He has pushed the theory that inflation is caused by high interest rates, an idea universally rejected by economists.This, along with other factors such as excessivecurrent accountdeficit and foreign-currency debt,in combination with Erdoğan's increasingauthoritarianism, caused aneconomic crisis starting from 2018, leading to large depreciation of the Turkish lira and very high inflation.EconomistPaul Krugmandescribed the unfolding crisis as "a classic currency-and-debt crisis, of a kind we've seen many times", adding: "At such a time, the quality of leadership suddenly matters a great deal. You need officials who understand what's happening, can devise a response and have enough credibility that markets give them the benefit of the doubt. Some emerging markets have those things, and they are riding out the turmoil fairly well. The Erdoğan regime has none of that".
In February 2016, Erdoğan threatened tosend the millions of refugees in Turkey to EUmember states,saying: "We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria anytime and we can put the refugees on buses ... So how will you deal with refugees if you don't get a deal?"
In an interview to the news magazineDer Spiegel, Germanminister of defenceUrsula von der Leyensaid on 11 March 2016 that the refugee crisis had made good cooperation between EU and Turkey an "existentially important" issue. "Therefore it is right to advance now negotiations on Turkey's EU accession".
In its resolution "The functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey" from 22 June 2016, theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europewarned that "recent developments in Turkey pertaining to freedom of the media and of expression, erosion of the rule of law and the human rights violations in relation to anti-terrorism security operations in south-east Turkey have ... raised serious questions about the functioning of its democratic institutions".
In January 2017, Erdoğan said that the withdrawal ofTurkish troopsfromNorthern Cyprusis "out of the question" and Turkey will be in Cyprus "forever".
In September 2020, Erdoğan declared his government's support forAzerbaijanfollowinga major conflictbetween Armenian and Azeri forces over adisputed regionofNagorno-Karabakh.He dismissed demands for a ceasefire.In 2022, Erdoğan and Russian PresidentVladimir Putinplanned forTurkeyto become an energy hub for all of Europe through theTurkStreamandBlue Streamgas pipelines.In October 2023 Erdoğan canceled attendance at the thirdEuropean Political Community (EPC)meeting.
In May 2022, Erdoğan voiced his opposition toFinlandandSwedenjoiningNATO, accusing the two countries of tolerating groups which Turkey classifies as terrorist organizations,including the Kurdish militant groupsPKK,PYDandYPGand the supporters ofFethullah Gülen.Following a protest in Sweden where a Quran was burned, Erdogan re-iterated that he would not support Sweden's bid to join NATO.President of FinlandSauli Niinistövisited Erdogan in Istanbul and Ankara in March 2023. During the visit, Erdogan confirmed that he supported Finnish NATO membership and declared that the Turkish parliament would confirm Finnish membership before the Turkish Presidential elections in May 2023.On 23 March 2023, the Turkish parliament's foreign relations committee confirmed the Finnish NATO membership application and sent the process to the Turkish Parliament's plenary session.On 1 April 2023, Erdoğan confirmed and signed the Turkish Grand National Assembly's ratification of Finnish NATO membership.This decision sealedFinland's entry to NATO. In June 2023, Erdoğan again voiced his opposition toSweden joining NATO.Just prior to the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023, Erdoğan linked Sweden's accession to NATO membership toTurkey's application for EU membership. Turkey had applied for EU membership in 1999, but talks made little progress since 2016.In September 2023, Erdoğan announced that theEuropean Unionwas well into a rupture in itsrelations with Turkeyand that they would part ways during Turkey's European Union membership process.However, on 23 October 2023, Erdoğan approved Sweden's pending NATO membership bid and sent the accession protocol to the Turkish Parliament for ratification.Two days later, Turkey's parliamentary speaker,Numan Kurtulmuş, sent a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership bid to parliament's foreign affairs committee.The committee discussed the ratification on 16 November 2023, but a decision was deferred,with a request for Sweden to produce a written roadmap to implement its anti-terrorism commitments.On 26 December 2023, the Turkish parliament's foreign relations committee confirmed the Swedish NATO membership application and sent the process to the Turkish Parliament's plenary session.On 25 January 2024, Erdoğan formally signed and approved the Turkish parliament's decision to ratify Swedish NATO membership.
There is a long-standingdispute between Turkey and Greecein theAegean Sea. Erdoğan warned that Greece will pay a "heavy price" if Turkey's gas exploration vessel – in what Turkey said are disputed waters – is attacked.He deemed the readmission of Greece into the military alliance NATO a mistake, claiming they were collaborating with terrorists.
In March 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated to the Turks in Europe, "Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That will be the best response to the injustices against you." This has been interpreted as an imperialist call for demographic warfare.
According toThe Economist, Erdoğan is the first Turkish leader to take theTurkish diasporaseriously, which has created friction within these diaspora communities and between the Turkish government and several of its European counterparts.
In February 2018, President Erdoğan expressed Turkish support of theRepublic of Macedonia's position during negotiations over theMacedonia naming disputesaying that Greece's position is wrong.
In March 2018, President Erdoğan criticized theKosovanPrime MinisterRamush Haradinajfor dismissing his Interior Minister and Intelligence Chief for failing to inform him of an unauthorized and illegal secret operation conducted by theNational Intelligence Organization of Turkeyon Kosovo's territory that led to the arrest of six people allegedly associated with the Gülen movement.
On 26 November 2019,an earthquake struckthe Durrës region of Albania. President Erdoğan expressed his condolences.and citing closeAlbanian-Turkish relations, he committed Turkey to reconstructing 500 earthquake destroyed homes and other civic structures inLaç, Albania.In Istanbul, Erdoğan organised and attended a donors conference (8 December) to assist Albania that included Turkish businessmen, investors and Albanian Prime MinisterEdi Rama.
In September 2023,Azerbaijanlaunched a large-scalemilitary offensiveto recapture theArmenian-populatedNagorno-Karabakh. Addressing theUnited Nations General Assembly, Erdoğan stated "As everyone now acknowledges, Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory. Imposition of another status [to the region] will never be accepted," and that "[Turkey] support[s] the steps taken by Azerbaijan—with whom we act together with the motto ofone nation, two states—to defend its territorial integrity."Erdoğan also met with Azerbaijan's PresidentIlham Aliyevin theNakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
In May 2018, British Prime MinisterTheresa Maywelcomed Erdoğan to the United Kingdom for a three-day state visit. Erdoğan declared that the United Kingdom is "an ally and a strategic partner, but also a real friend. The cooperation we have is well beyond any mechanism that we have established with other partners."
Relations between Turkey and Israel began to normalize after Israeli Prime MinisterNetanyahuofficially apologized for the death of the nine Turkish activists during theGaza flotilla raid.However, in response to the2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Erdoğan accused Israel of being "more barbaric than Hitler",and conducting "state terrorism" and a "genocide attempt" against the Palestinians.
In December 2017, President Erdoğan issued a warning toDonald Trump, after the U.S. PresidentacknowledgedJerusalemas Israel's capital.Erdoğan stated, "Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims", indicating that naming Jerusalem as Israel's capital would alienate Palestinians and other Muslims from the city, undermining hopes at a future capital of a Palestinian State.Erdoğan called Israel a "terrorist state".Naftali Bennettdismissed the threats, claiming "Erdoğan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel".
In April 2019, Erdoğan said theWest Bankbelongs to Palestinians, after Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahusaid he would annexIsraeli settlementsin the occupiedPalestinian territoriesif he is re-elected.
Erdoğan condemned theIsrael–UAE peace agreement, stating that Turkey was considering suspending or cutting offdiplomatic relationswith theUnited Arab Emiratesin retaliation.
The relations shifted back to normality since 2021, when the two countries started improving relations.In March 2022, Israeli presidentIsaac Herzogvisited Turkey, meeting Erdoğan.The two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations in August 2022.
Erdoğan condemned the Israeli attacks in the Gaza strip during2023 Israel–Hamas war, saying they are a violation of human rights, which led to accusations of hypocrisy as Turkey itself severely bombedKurdishareas at the same time, including many civilian targets.Erdoğan said that Israel's bombing andblockade of the Gaza Stripin retaliation for Hamas’ attack was a disproportionate response amounting to a "massacre."On 25 October 2023, Erdoğan said thatHamaswas not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people.On 15 November 2023, he condemned Israel as a "terrorist state" and accused it of committinggenocide against the Palestinians.
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria significantly deteriorated due to theSyrian civil war. Initially, while tens of thousand of Syrian refugees already crossed the border to Turkey, Turkish officials tried to convince Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assadto make significant reforms to alleviate the conflict and calm down the protests.The last of such meetings happened on 9 August 2011, during a seven-hour meeting between Assad and Turkey'sAhmet Davutoğlu, giving the latter the title of 'the last European leader who visited Assad'.
Turkey got involved in a violent conflict withIslamic State(IS) as part of thespillover of the Syrian Civil War. IS executed aseries of attacks against Turkish soldiers and civilians. In an ISIS-video, where two Turkish soldiers were burned alive, Turkish President Erdoğan was verbally attacked by ISIS and threatened with the destruction of Turkey.Turkey joined theinternational military intervention against the Islamic Statein 2015. TheTurkish Armed Forces'Operation Euphrates Shieldwas aimed at IS, and areas aroundJarabulusandal-Babwere conquered from IS.
In January 2018, the Turkish military and its alliesSyrian National ArmyandSham LegionbeganOperation Olive BranchinAfrinin Northern Syria, against the Kurdish armed group YPG.In October 2019, the United States gave the go-ahead to the2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, despite recently agreeing to aNorthern Syria Buffer Zone.U.S. troops in northern Syriawere withdrawn from the border to avoid interference with the Turkish operation.After the U.S. pullout, Turkey proceeded to attack theAutonomous Administration of North and East Syria.Rejecting criticism of the invasion, Erdoğan claimed thatNATOandEuropean Unioncountries "sided with terrorists, and all of them attacked us".Erdoğan then filed a criminal complaint against French magazineLe Pointafter it accused him of conductingethnic cleansingin the area.With Erdogan's control of the media fanning local nationalism,a poll by Metropoll Research found that 79% of Turkish respondents expressed support for the operation.
Bilateral trade between Turkey and China increased from $1 billion a year in 2002 to $27 billion annually in 2017.Erdoğan has stated that Turkey might consider joining theShanghai Cooperation Organisationinstead of the European Union.
In 2009, Erdoğan accused China of "genocide" against theUyghursinXinjiang.In 2019, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning what it described as China's "reintroduction of concentration camps in the 21st century" and "a great cause of shame for humanity".Later that year, while visiting China, Erdoğan said that there were those who "exploited" the Uyghur issue to strain relations between China and Turkey.Since then the Turkish government has largely toned down its criticisms of China's treatment of Uyghurs, and cracked down on Uyghur activists at China's behest, and has expanded deportations of Uyghurs to China.
In June 2017 during a speech, Erdoğan called theisolation of Qataras "inhumane and against Islamic values" and that "victimising Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose".
In September 2017, Erdoğan condemned thepersecution of Muslims in Myanmarand accusedMyanmarof "genocide" against the Muslim minority.
Over time, Turkey began to look for ways to buy its own missile defense system and also to use that procurement to build up its own capacity to manufacture and sell an air and missile defense system. Turkey got serious about acquiring a missile defense system early in thefirst Obama administrationwhen it opened a competition between the Raytheon Patriot PAC 2 system and systems from Europe, Russia, and even China.
Taking advantage of the new low in U.S.-Turkish relations, Putin saw his chance to use anS-400sale to Turkey, so in July 2017, he offered the air defense system to Turkey. In the months that followed, the United States warned Turkey that a S-400 purchase jeopardized Turkey'sF-35 purchase. Integration of the Russian system into the NATO air defense net was also out of the question. Administration officials, includingMark Esper, warned that Turkey had to choose between the S-400 and the F-35, that they could not have both.
The S-400 deliveries to Turkey began on 12 July. On 16 July, Trump mentioned to reporters that withholding the F-35 from Turkey was unfair. Said the president, "So what happens is we have a situation where Turkey is very good with us, very good, and we are now telling Turkey that because you have really been forced to buy another missile system, we're not going to sell you the F-35 fighter jets".
The U.S. Congress made clear on a bipartisan basis that it expected the president to sanction Turkey for buying Russian equipment.Out of the F-35, Turkey considered buying Russianfifth-generation jet fighterSu-57.
On 1 August 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned two seniorTurkish government ministerswho were involved in the detention of American pastorAndrew Brunson.Erdoğan said that U.S. behavior would force Turkey to look for new friends and allies.TheU.S.–Turkey tensionsappeared to be the most serious diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies in years.
Trump's former national security adviserJohn Boltonclaimed that PresidentDonald Trumptold Erdoğan he would 'take care' of the investigation against Turkey's state-owned bankHalkbank, accused of bank fraud charges and laundering up to $20 billion on behalf of Iranian entities.Turkey criticizedBolton's book, saying it included misleading accounts of conversations between Trump and Erdoğan.
In August 2020, the former vice president and presidential candidateJoe Bidencalled for a new U.S. approach to the "autocrat" President Erdoğan and support for Turkish opposition parties.In September 2020, Biden demanded that Erdoğan "stay out" of theSecond Nagorno-Karabakh WarbetweenAzerbaijanandArmenia, in which Turkey supported the Azeris.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan wants to realize theZangezur corridorland route in the southern Caucasus,a geopolitical corridor from Europe through Central Asia, all the way to China.
Relations with Venezuela were strengthened with recent developments and high level mutual visits. The first official visit between the two countries at presidential level was in October 2017 when Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Madurovisited Turkey. In December 2018, Erdoğan visited Venezuela for the first time and expressed his will to build strong relations with Venezuela and expressed hope that high-level visits "will increasingly continue".
Reuters reported that in 2018 23 tons of mined gold were taken from Venezuela to Istanbul.In the first nine months of 2018, Venezuela's gold exports to Turkey rose from zero in the previous year to US$900 million.
During theVenezuelan presidential crisis, Erdoğan voiced solidarity withVenezuela's PresidentNicolás Maduroand criticized U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, saying that "political problems cannot be resolved by punishing an entire nation."
Following the2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt, Erdoğan condemned the actions of lawmakerJuan Guaidó, tweeting "Those who are in an effort to appoint a postmodern colonial governor to Venezuela, where the President was appointed by elections and where the people rule, should know that only democratic elections can determine how a country is governed".
In 2016, Erdoğan told hisUkrainiancounterpartPetro Poroshenkothat Turkey would not recognize the2014 Russian annexation of Crimea; calling it "Crimea's occupation".
During theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Erdoğan functioned as a mediator and peace broker.On 10 March 2022, Turkey hosted a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia on the margins ofAntalya Diplomacy Forum, making it the first high-level talks since the invasion.Following thepeace talksin Istanbul on 29 March 2022, Russia decided to leave areas aroundKyivandChernihiv.On 22 July 2022, together withUnited Nations, Turkeybrokered a deal between Russia and Ukraineabout clearing the way for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, following the2022 food crises.On 21 September 2022, a record-high of 215 Ukrainian soldiers, including fighters who led the defence of theAzovstal steelworksinMariupol, had been released in aprisoner exchangewith Russia after mediation by Turkish President Erdoğan.As part of the agreement, the freed captives stay in Turkey until the war is over.
While Turkey has closed theBosphorusto Russian naval reinforcements, enforced United Nations sanctionsand supplied Ukraine with military equipment such asBayraktar TB2drones andBMC Kirpivehicles, it didn't participate in certain sanctions like closing the Turkish airspace for Russian civilians and continued the dialogue with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin.Erdoğan reiterated his stance on Crimea in 2022 saying thatinternational lawrequires that Russia must return Crimea to Ukraine.
On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état was attempted by the military, with aims to remove Erdoğan from government. By the next day, Erdoğan's government managed to reassert effective control in the country.Reportedly, no government official was arrested or harmed, which, among other factors, raised the suspicion of afalse flagevent staged by the government itself.
Erdoğan, as well as other government officials, has blamed an exiled cleric, and a former ally of Erdoğan,Fethullah Gülen, for staging the coup attempt.Süleyman Soylu, Minister of Labor in Erdoğan's government, accused the US of planning a coup to oust Erdoğan.
Erdoğan, as well as other high-ranking Turkish government officials, has issued repeated demands to the US to extradite Gülen.
Following the coup attempt, there has been a significant deterioration in Turkey-US relations. European and other world leaders have expressed their concerns over the situation in Turkey, with many of them warning Erdoğan not to use the coup attempt as an excuse to crack down on his opponents.
The rise of ISIS and the collapse of the Kurdish peace process had led to a sharp rise in terror incidents in Turkey until 2016. Erdoğan was accused by his critics of having a 'soft corner' for ISIS.However, after the attempted coup, Erdoğan ordered the Turkish military into Syria to combat ISIS and Kurdish militant groups.Erdoğan's critics have decried purges in the education system and judiciary as undermining the rule of lawhowever Erdoğan supporters argue this is a necessary measure as Gulen-linked schools cheated on entrance exams, requiring a purge in the education system and of the Gulen followers who then entered the judiciary.
Erdoğan's plan is "to reconstitute Turkey as a presidential system. The plan would create a centralized system that would enable him to better tackle Turkey's internal and external threats. One of the main hurdles allegedly standing in his way is Fethullah Gulen's movement ..."In the aftermath of the2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, a groundswell of national unity and consensus emerged for cracking down on the coup plotters with a National Unity rally held in Turkey that included Islamists, secularists, liberals and nationalists.Erdoğan has used this consensus to remove Gulen's followers from the bureaucracy, curtail their role in NGOs, Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Turkish military, with 149 Generals discharged.In a foreign policy shift Erdoğan ordered the Turkish Armed Forces into battle in Syria and has liberated towns from IS control.As relations with Europe soured over in the aftermath of the attempted coup, Erdoğan developed alternative relationships with Russia,Saudi Arabiaand a "strategic partnership" withPakistan,with plans to cultivate relations through free trade agreements and deepening military relations for mutual co-operation with Turkey's regional allies.
On 6 February 2023, acatastrophic earthquakeoccurred during his administration in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria,killing more than 50,000 people.
Early during his premiership, Erdoğan was praised as a role model for emerging Middle Eastern nations due to several reform packages initiated by his government which expanded religious freedoms and minority rights as part ofaccession negotiationswith theEuropean Union.However, his government underwent several crises including theSledgehammer coupand theErgenekon trials, corruption scandals, accusations of media intimidation, as well as the pursuit of an increasingly polarizing political agenda; the opposition accused the government of inciting political hatred throughout the country.He has also been described as having "long championed Islamist causes".
In 2019, Erdoğan once again publicly recitedZiya Gökalp'sSoldier's Prayerpoem, as he had done in 1997. According toHans-Lukas Kieser, these recitations betray Erdoğan's desire to create Gökalp's pre-1923 ideal, that is, "a modern, leader-led Islamic-Turkish state extending beyond the boundaries of theTreaty of Lausanne".
As President, Erdoğan has overseen a revival ofOttomantradition,greeting Palestinian presidentMahmoud Abbaswith an Ottoman-style ceremony in thenew presidential palace, withguards dressedin costumes representing founders of16 Great Turkish Empiresin history.While Prime Minister of Turkey, Erdoğan's AKP made references to the Ottoman era during election campaigns, such as calling their supporters 'grandsons of Ottomans'(Osmanlı torunu).This proved controversial, since it was perceived to be an open attack against the republican nature of modern Turkey founded byMustafa Kemal Atatürk. In 2015, Erdoğan made a statement in which he endorsed the old Ottoman termkülliyeto refer to university campuses rather than the standard Turkish wordkampüs.Many critics have thus accused Erdoğan of wanting to become an Ottomansultanand abandon the secular and democratic credentials of the Republic.
When pressed on this issue in January 2015, Erdoğan denied these claims and said that he would aim to be more likeQueenElizabeth IIof the United Kingdom rather than like an Ottoman sultan.
In July 2020, after theCouncil of Stateannulled theCabinet's 1934 decision to establish theHagia Sophiaas museum and revoking the monument's status, Erdoğan ordered its reclassification as a mosque.The 1934 decree was ruled to be unlawful under both Ottoman and Turkish law as Hagia Sophia'swaqf, endowed bySultan Mehmed II, had designated the site a mosque; proponents of the decision argued the Hagia Sophia was the personal property of the sultan.This redesignation is controversial, invoking condemnation from the Turkish opposition,UNESCO, theWorld Council of Churches, theHoly See, and many other international leaders.In August 2020, he also signed the order that transferred the administration of theChora Churchto the Directorate of Religious Affairs to open it for worship as a mosque.Initially converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, the building had then been designated as a museum by the government since 1934.
In August 2020, Erdoğan gave a speech saying that "in our civilization, conquest is not occupation or looting. It is establishing the dominance of the justice that Allah commanded in the region. First of all, our nation removed the oppression from the areas that it conquered. It established justice. This is why our civilization is one of conquest. Turkey will take what is its right in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Aegean Sea, and in the Black Sea."In October 2020, he made a statement before theGrand National Assemblythat "Jerusalemis ours", referring to the period of Ottoman rule over the city and the rebuilding of itsOld CitybySuleiman the Magnificent.
In October 2023 the first church built with government backing in Turkey's 100-year history as a post-Ottoman state was inaugurated.
Erdoğan has been thede factoleader of Turkey since 2002.In the more recent years of Erdoğan's rule, Turkey has experienced increasingauthoritarianism,democratic backsliding, and corruption,as well asexpansionism,censorship, and banning ofpartiesor dissent.In response to criticism, Erdoğan made a speech in May 2014 denouncing allegations of dictatorship, saying that the leader of the opposition, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was there at the speech, would not be able to "roam the streets" freely if he were a dictator.Kılıçdaroğlu responded that political tensions would cease to exist if Erdoğan stopped making his polarizing speeches for three days.One observer said it was a measure of the state of Turkish democracy that Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlucould openly threaten, on 20 December 2015, that, if his party did not win the election, Turkish Kurds would endure a repeat of the era of the"white Toros".
In April 2014, the President of the Constitutional Court,Haşim Kılıç, accused Erdoğan of damaging the credibility of the judiciary, labelling Erdoğan's attempts to increase political control over the courts as 'desperate'.During the chaotic2007 presidential election, the military issued anE-memorandumwarning the government to keep within the boundaries of secularism when choosing a candidate. Regardless, Erdoğan's close relations withFethullah Gülenand his Cemaat Movement allowed his government to maintain a degree of influence within the judiciary through Gülen's supporters in high judicial and bureaucratic offices.Shortly after, an alleged coup plot codenamedSledgehammerbecame public and resulted in the imprisonment of 300 military officers includingİbrahim Fırtına,Çetin DoğanandEngin Alan. Several opposition politicians, journalists and military officers alsowent on trialfor allegedly being part of an ultra-nationalist organization calledErgenekon.
Both cases were marred by irregularities and were condemned as a joint attempt by Erdoğan and Gülen to curb opposition to the AKP.The original Sledgehammer document containing the coup plans, allegedly written in 2003, was found to have been written usingMicrosoft Word 2007.Despite both domestic and international calls for these irregularities to be addressed in order to guarantee a fair trial, Erdoğan instead praised his government for bringing the coup plots to light.When Gülen publicly withdrew support and openly attacked Erdoğan in late 2013, several imprisoned military officers and journalists were released, with the government admitting that the judicial proceedings were unfair.
When Gülen withdrew support from the AKP government in late 2013, agovernment corruption scandalbroke out, leading to the arrest of several family members of cabinet ministers. Erdoğan accused Gülen of co-ordinating a "parallel state" within the judiciary in an attempt to topple him from power. He then removed or reassigned several judicial officials in an attempt to remove Gülen's supporters from office. Erdoğan's 'purge' was widely questioned and criticized by the European Union.In early 2014, a new law was passed by parliament giving the government greater control over the judiciary, which sparked public protest throughout the country. International organizations perceived the law to be a danger to theseparation of powers.
Several judicial officials removed from their posts said that they had been removed due to their secularist credentials. The political opposition accused Erdoğan of not only attempting to remove Gülen supporters, but supporters ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk's principles as well, in order to pave the way for increased politicization of the judiciary. Several family members of Erdoğan's ministers who had been arrested as a result of the 2013 corruption scandal were released, and a judicial order to question Erdoğan's son Bilal Erdoğan was annulled.Controversy erupted when it emerged that many of the newly appointed judicial officials were actually AKP supporters.İslam Çiçek, a judge who ejected the cases of five ministers' relatives accused of corruption, was accused of being an AKP supporter and an official investigation was launched into his political affiliations.On 1 September 2014, the courts dissolved the cases of 96 suspects, which included Bilal Erdoğan.
Erdoğan has been criticized for his politicization of the media, especially after the 2013 protests. The oppositionRepublican People's Party(CHP) alleged that over 1,863 journalists lost their jobs due to their anti-government views in 12 years ofAKPrule.Opposition politicians have also alleged that intimidation in the media is due to the government's attempt to restructure the ownership of private media corporations. Journalists from theCihan News Agencyand the GülenistZamannewspaperwere repeatedly barred from attending government press conferences or asking questions.Several opposition journalists such asSoner Yalçınwere controversially arrested as part of theErgenekon trialsandSledgehammer coup investigation.Veli Ağbaba, aCHPpolitician, has called the AKP the 'biggest media boss in Turkey.'
In 2015, 74 US senators sent a letter toUS Secretary of State,John Kerry, to state their concern over what they saw as deviations from the basic principles of democracy in Turkey and oppressions of Erdoğan over media.
Notable cases of media censorship occurred during the 2013 anti-government protests, when the mainstream media did not broadcast any news regarding the demonstrations for three days after they began. The lack of media coverage was symbolised byCNN Internationalcovering the protests whileCNN Türkbroadcast a documentary about penguins at the same time.TheRadio and Television Supreme Council(RTÜK) controversially issued a fine to pro-opposition news channels includingHalk TVandUlusal Kanalfor their coverage of the protests, accusing them of broadcasting footage that could be morally, physically and mentally destabilizing to children.Erdoğan was criticized for not responding to the accusations of media intimidation, and caused international outrage after telling a female journalist (Amberin ZamanofThe Economist) to know her place and calling her a 'shameless militant' during his2014 presidential election campaign.While the2014 presidential electionwas not subject to substantial electoral fraud, Erdoğan was again criticized for receiving disproportionate media attention in comparison to his rivals. The British newspaperThe Timescommented that between 2 and 4 July, the state-owned media channelTRTgave 204 minutes of coverage to Erdoğan's campaign and less than a total of 3 minutes to both his rivals.
Erdoğan alsotightened controls over the Internet, signing into law a bill which allows the government to block websites without prior court order on 12 September 2014.His government blockedTwitterandYouTubein late March 2014 following the release of a recording of a conversation between him and his sonBilal, where Erdoğan allegedly warned his family to 'nullify' all cash reserves at their home amid the2013 corruption scandal.Erdoğan has undertaken a media campaign that attempts to portray the presidential family as frugal and simple-living; their palace electricity-bill is estimated at $500,000 per month.
In November 2016, the Turkish governmentblocked access tosocial mediain all of Turkeyas well as sought to completely block Internet access for the citizens in the southeast of the country.Since the 2016 coup attempt, authorities arrested or imprisoned more than 90,000 Turkish citizens.
In February 2015, a 13-year-old was charged by a prosecutor after allegedlyinsulting Erdoğanon Facebook.In 2016, a waiter was arrested for insulting Erdoğan by allegedly saying "If Erdoğan comes here, I will not even serve tea to him.".Between 2016and 2023 there were trials for insulting the president for havingcompared Erdogan to Gollum, a fictional character ofJ. R. R. Tolkien'sLord of the Rings.In May 2016, formerMiss TurkeymodelMerve Büyüksaraçwas sentenced to more than a year in prison for allegedly insulting the president.Between 2014 and 2019, 128,872 investigations were launched for insulting the president and prosecutors opened 27,717 criminal cases.
In 2009, Turkish sculptorMehmet Aksoycreated theStatue of HumanityinKarsto promote reconciliation between Turkey andArmenia. When visiting the city in 2011, Erdoğan deemed the statue a "freak", and months later it was demolished.Aksoy sued Erdoğan for "moral indemnities", although his lawyer said that his statement was a critique rather than an insult. In March 2015, a judge ordered Erdoğan to pay 10,000liras.
The term Erdoğanism first emerged shortly after Erdoğan's2011 general electionvictory, where it was predominantly described as the AKP'sliberal economicandconservative democraticideals fused with Erdoğan'sdemagogueryand cult of personality.
In 2002, Erdoğan said that "homosexuals must be legally protected within the framework of their rights and freedoms. From time to time, we do not find the treatment they get on some television screens humane", he said.However, in 2017 Erdoğan has said that empoweringLGBT people in Turkeywas "against the values of our nation".
In 2020, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Turkey's top Muslim scholar and President of Religious Affairs,Ali Erbaş, said in a Friday Ramadan announcement that the country condemnshomosexualitybecause it "brings illness", insinuating that same sex relations are responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan backed Erbaş, saying that what Erbaş "said was totally right."Starting from 2023, Erdoğan began openly speaking against LGBT people, openly saying that his Coalition "are against the LGBT", and accusing the Turkish opposition of being LGBT.
In 2023, Erdogan blamed LGBTQ+ people for "undermining family values" in Turkey and called his political opponents "gays" in a derogatory manner. Third-party sources have criticized this; seeing it as a bid to distract the public from the ruling party's failings—particularly on the country's economy; according to these sources, by targeting Turkey's minority groups, he rallies his base amidthe country's ongoing economic troublesto raise the prospects of winning the2023 general elections in his country, which are seen as critical for his nearly 20-year rule.
While Erdoğan has declared several times that he is againstantisemitism,he has been accused of invokingantisemitic stereotypesin public statements.
Erdoğan marriedEmine Erdoğan(née Gülbaran; b. 1955,Siirt) on 4 July 1978.They have two sons,Ahmet Burak(b. 1979) andNecmettin Bilal(b. 1981), and two daughters,Esra(b. 1983) andSümeyye(b. 1985).His father, Ahmet Erdoğan, died in 1988 and his mother, Tenzile Erdoğan, died in 2011 at the age of 87.
Erdoğan has a brother, Mustafa (b. 1958), and a sister, Vesile (b. 1965).From his father's first marriage to Havuli Erdoğan (d. 1980), he had two half-brothers: Mehmet (1926–1988) and Hasan (1929–2006).
Erdoğan has received numerous national and international awards and honors throughout his political career. These awards and honors reflect his contributions to international relations, cultural dialogue and humanitarian efforts. Internationally, he has been recognized with prestigious awards such as theMedal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan"fromRussia, theNishan-e-PakistanfromPakistan, and theOrder of the RepublicfromMoldova. He has also been honored with theGrand Cordon of the Order of LeopoldfromBelgium, theGrand Cordon of the National Order of the Ivory CoastfromIvory Coast, and theGrand Cross of the National Order of MeritfromGuinea. Domestically, Erdoğan has received accolades including the Outstanding Service award from theTurkish Red Crescentand the Dialogue Between Cultures Award from thePresident of Tatarstan. Additionally, he has been awarded theKing Faisal International Prizefor "service to Islam" and theUnited Nations–HABITAT awardin memorial ofRafik Hariri.