Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954 in Istanbul) is a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister from 14 March 2003 to 2014 and has held the office of President of Turkey since 28 August 2014. He was among the founders of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), established in 2001, and has been the party's most influential figure since its inception.

His tenure in office has been marked by two major shifts: the transition to a presidential system that concentrated executive power in the presidency (approved by referendum in April 2017), and a sharp rise in inflation during 2021–2024. Official reports and research institutions have raised questions about the level of electoral competition and press freedom during his time in office, while his supporters point to advances in infrastructure, healthcare, and defence manufacturing.

Early life and mayoralty of Istanbul

Erdoğan was born in Istanbul in 1954 and entered politics while still a student. In 1994 he was elected mayor of Istanbul on the Welfare Party ticket (Refah), an Islamist party; at that time the city faced problems with water shortages, traffic congestion, poverty, and debt. He was convicted and imprisoned after reciting a poem in 1997 deemed politically inflammatory; he served several months in prison and was removed from office in 1998.

AKP, Prime Ministerial office, and Presidency

In 2001 he was among those who founded the AKP. The party won the 2002 elections, and Erdoğan became Prime Minister on 14 March 2003, a position he held until 28 August 2014, winning three general elections (2002, 2007, 2011). In 2014 he was directly elected to the presidency for the first time. On 15 July 2016 a military coup attempt occurred in which 246 people were reported killed and 2,194 wounded; on 21 July 2016 a state of emergency was declared, and approximately 100,000 civil servants were dismissed by emergency decree. On 16 April 2017 a constitutional amendment was approved by 51.41% of voters introducing a presidential system; the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe had previously warned that the restructuring would concentrate excessive executive power in the hands of the president.

Elections of 2023–2024 and economic conditions

In the presidential election of 14 May 2023 no candidate received an absolute majority, so a second round was held on 28 May 2023. Erdoğan obtained 52.18% (approximately 27.8 million votes) against his main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's 47.82%; turnout in the second round was 84.15%. International election observation by the OSCE and PACE noted media bias. In the parliamentary elections of 31 March 2024, the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) obtained roughly 38% of the national vote while the AKP received 35%, marking the first time the AKP fell below 40% of the total vote; the CHP won 36 of 81 provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara.

On the economic front, annual inflation reached a peak of 85.5% in October 2022, while the lira depreciated sharply. Erdoğan resisted interest rate increases, arguing that raising rates would worsen inflation—a view at odds with mainstream economic theory. After the 2023 elections, a new economic team returned to orthodox policy, and the central bank (CBRT) began steadily raising rates; inflation had fallen to around 65% by early 2024 before declining further.

Opposition and tensions in 2025

On 19 March 2025 the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, regarded as the opposition's strongest challenger, was arrested on charges of corruption and terrorist financing; others working with him were also detained. The arrests triggered large protests in major cities; reports indicated that more than 1,100 people were detained in the first five days. The tensions also affected financial markets and the lira's value. The government stated the matter was a judicial proceeding conducted independently.