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Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's dominant president Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's pugnacious president
(6 months later)
Not since the days of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of the modern Turkish Republic, has any figure dominated the country for as long Recep Tayyip Erdogan. From humble beginnings Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown into a political giant, reshaping Turkey more than any leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered father of the modern republic.
The president's grip on power was seriously challenged by an attempted coup on 15 July. Yet he was back less than 12 hours later, some say in an even stronger position than before. And he had out-manoeuvred the plotters. The referendum "Yes" vote gives him the green light to create a muscular presidency, with powers to personally appoint or dismiss ministers, select judges and rule by decree if he deems it necessary.
"For the first time in the history of the republic, we are changing our ruling system through civil politics," he told flag-waving supporters on 16 April.
It was a veiled reminder of the 15 July coup attempt, when his grip on power was seriously challenged by military officers.
An all-powerful presidency, he argues, is a guarantee that the political instability that used to plague Turkey will not return.
In 1960 and three more times in later decades the Turkish army intervened in politics, seeing itself as the guarantor of Ataturk's secular republic.
Its shadowy nationalist influence behind the scenes came to be known as "the deep state".
President Erdogan's powerful AK Party (AKP), rooted in conservative Islam, has shown a fierce determination to clip the military's wings. AKP stands for Justice and Development Party.
During his tenure Turkish courts have jailed dozens of officers for alleged coup plots, and the ranks have been purged since the attempt to topple him last year.
Erdogan's Turkey: The full story
Turkey country profile
Why did Turkey hold a referendum?
The failed coup claimed at least 240 lives and, according to his officials, also came close to killing Mr Erdogan, who had been staying at the Aegean holiday resort of Marmaris.
Yet he was back in less than 12 hours, having outmanoeuvred the plotters.
He appeared on national TV and rallied supporters in Istanbul, declaring he was the "chief commander". But the strain on the president was clear when he sobbed openly while giving a speech at the funeral of a close friend, shot with his son by mutinous soldiers.
To his supporters he has brought Turkey years of economic growth, but to his critics he is an autocratic leader intolerant of dissent who harshly silences anyone who opposes him.To his supporters he has brought Turkey years of economic growth, but to his critics he is an autocratic leader intolerant of dissent who harshly silences anyone who opposes him.
And dissenters range from a 16-year-old arrested for insulting the president to a former Miss Turkey who got into trouble for sharing a poem critical of the Turkish president.And dissenters range from a 16-year-old arrested for insulting the president to a former Miss Turkey who got into trouble for sharing a poem critical of the Turkish president.
The failed coup claimed at least 240 lives and, according to his officials, also came close to killing Mr Erdogan, who had been staying at the Aegean holiday resort of Marmaris. The voting pattern in the 16 April constitutional referendum shows a deeply polarised country. Mr Erdogan's Yes camp got 51.4% - a narrower margin of victory than he would have liked.
Within hours, he appeared on national TV and rallied supporters in Istanbul, declaring he was the "chief commander". But the strain on the president was clear, when he sobbed openly while giving a speech at the funeral of a close friend, shot with his son by soldiers during the attempted coup. As expected, he won in the Anatolian heartland and Black Sea region. But the No camp won in the big cities - Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir - as well as on the Mediterranean coast and in the Kurdish-majority south-east.
Presidential ambitions Purge of public servants
Mr Erdogan, 62, came to power in 2002, a year after the formation of the AK Party (AKP). He spent 11 years as Turkey's prime minister before becoming the country's first directly-elected president in August 2014 - a supposedly ceremonial role. Mr Erdogan came to power in 2002, a year after the formation of the AKP. He spent 11 years as Turkey's prime minister before becoming the country's first directly-elected president in August 2014 - a supposedly ceremonial role.
He is known to harbour ambitions of creating an executive presidency, to regain some of the powers he relinquished when his tenure as prime minister ended in 2014. His silencing of critics has caused alarm abroad, contributing to frosty relations with the EU which have stalled Turkey's bid to join the bloc.
While the AKP enjoys a fierce and loyal support among Turkey's conservative, Muslim base, his silencing of critics has caused alarm abroad. Since the thwarted coup, nearly 50,000 people have been detained, including many soldiers, journalists, lawyers, police officers, academics and Kurdish politicians.
Turkish journalists have been investigated and put on trial, foreign journalists have been harassed and deported. The authorities have sacked 120,000 public servants, and there are widespread complaints of AKP-inspired intimidation.
And Mr Erdogan's authoritarian approach is not confined to Turkey's borders. His bodyguards harassed reporters in the US, and a German satirist is under investigation in his home country for offending the Turkish president on TV. Mr Erdogan says the plot was engineered by Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric who used to be an ally.
In June 2015 the AKP suffered a dip in the polls and failed to form a coalition. Mr Gulen heads a global network of supporters - including Gulen schools - and his Hizmet movement has penetrated many areas of Turkish life. But he strongly denies plotting against the AKP government.
But the party swept back to power in November with 49% of the vote, in elections overshadowed by the end of a ceasefire with the Kurdish militant PKK. What is Turkey's Gulen movement?
Erdogan's rise to power Turkey post-coup purge convulses society
Born in 1954, Recep Tayyip Erdogan grew up the son of a coastguard, on Turkey's Black Sea coast. Mr Erdogan's authoritarian approach is not confined to Turkey's borders. His bodyguards harassed reporters in the US, and a German satirist was investigated in his home country for offending Mr Erdogan on TV.
In the run-up to the referendum Mr Erdogan was enraged by German and Dutch bans on his ministers addressing political rallies among the Turkish diaspora.
Politicians in both countries sharply rebuked him for calling those restrictions "Nazi" actions.
Rise to power
Born in February 1954, Recep Tayyip Erdogan grew up the son of a coastguard, on Turkey's Black Sea coast.
When he was 13, his father decided to move to Istanbul, hoping to give his five children a better upbringing.When he was 13, his father decided to move to Istanbul, hoping to give his five children a better upbringing.
As a teenager, the young Erdogan sold lemonade and sesame buns on the streets of Istanbul's rougher districts to earn extra cash. As a teenager, the young Erdogan sold lemonade and sesame buns to earn extra cash.
He attended an Islamic school before obtaining a degree in management from Istanbul's Marmara University - and playing professional football.He attended an Islamic school before obtaining a degree in management from Istanbul's Marmara University - and playing professional football.
1970s-1980s - Active in Islamist circles, member of Necmettin Erbakan's Welfare Party1970s-1980s - Active in Islamist circles, member of Necmettin Erbakan's Welfare Party
1994-1998 - Mayor of Istanbul, until military officers made power grab 1994-1998 - Mayor of Istanbul, until military officers made power grab and banned Welfare Party
1998 - Welfare Party banned, Erdogan jailed for four months for inciting religious hatred 1999 - Jailed for four months after he publicly read a nationalist poem including the lines: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers"
Aug 2001 - Founds Islamist-rooted AKP (Justice and Development Party) with ally Abdullah Gul Aug 2001 - Founds Islamist-rooted AKP with ally Abdullah Gul
2002-2003 - AKP wins solid majority in parliamentary election, Erdogan appointed prime minister2002-2003 - AKP wins solid majority in parliamentary election, Erdogan appointed prime minister
June 2013 - Unleashes security forces on protesters trying to protect Gezi Park, a green area of Istanbul earmarked for a building project
Dec 2013 - Big corruption scandal batters his government - three cabinet ministers' sons are arrested, Erdogan blames Gulenists
Aug 2014 - Becomes president after first-ever direct elections for head of stateAug 2014 - Becomes president after first-ever direct elections for head of state
July 2016 - Survives attempted coup by factions within the militaryJuly 2016 - Survives attempted coup by factions within the military
Challenging the military April 2017 - Wins referendum on increased presidential powers
In the decades before the AKP's rise to power, the military intervened in politics four times to curb Islamist influence.
And Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for years embraced Islamist-rooted politics. When he became mayor of Istanbul in 1994 he stood as candidate for the pro-Islamist Welfare Party.
He went to jail for four months in 1999 for religious incitement after he publicly read a nationalist poem including the lines: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers."
When he became prime minister in 2002 as head of the AKP, he asserted civilian supremacy over the army.
In 2013 he triumphed over the military elite when senior officers were among a large group of people convicted of plotting to overthrow him in what was known as the "Ergenekon" case. Those convictions were later quashed.
Critics have accused Mr Erdogan of using the judiciary to silence political opponents, and there have been many allegations of trumped-up charges.
But his supporters applauded him for taking on previously untouchable establishment figures, who saw themselves as guardians of the state created by Ataturk.
Gezi Park protests
Mr Erdogan also unleashed the power of the state to crush mass protests in Istanbul in June 2013, focused on Gezi Park, a green area earmarked for a huge building project.
The protests spread to other cities, swelled by many secularist Turks suspicious of the AKP's Islamist leanings.
A major corruption scandal battered his government in December 2013, involving numerous arrests, including the sons of three cabinet ministers.
Mr Erdogan raged against "plotters" based outside Turkey, condemning supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally turned rival in self-imposed exile in the US. He also lashed out against social media, vowing to "wipe out" Twitter.
Muslim revivalMuslim revival
Mr Erdogan has denied wanting to impose Islamic values, saying he is committed to secularism. But he supports Turks' right to express their religious beliefs more openly. Mr Erdogan has denied wanting to impose Islamic values, saying he is committed to secularism. But he supports Turks' right to express their religion more openly.
That message goes down particularly well in rural and small-town Anatolia - the AKP's traditional heartland. Some supporters nicknamed him "Sultan" - harking back to the Ottoman Empire. That message is especially popular in rural and small-town Anatolia. Some supporters nicknamed him "Sultan" - harking back to the Ottoman Empire.
In October 2013 Turkey lifted rules banning women from wearing headscarves in the country's state institutions - with the exception of the judiciary, military and police - ending a decades-old restriction.In October 2013 Turkey lifted rules banning women from wearing headscarves in the country's state institutions - with the exception of the judiciary, military and police - ending a decades-old restriction.
Critics also pointed to Mr Erdogan's failed bid to criminalise adultery, and his attempts to introduce "alcohol-free zones", as evidence of his alleged Islamist intentions.Critics also pointed to Mr Erdogan's failed bid to criminalise adultery, and his attempts to introduce "alcohol-free zones", as evidence of his alleged Islamist intentions.
Palatial ambitions A father of four, he has said "no Muslim family" should consider birth control or family planning. "We will multiply our descendants," he said in May 2016.
Mr Erdogan's political opponents saw a lavish new presidential palace as a symbol of his alleged authoritarian tendencies. He has extolled motherhood, condemned feminists, and said men and women cannot be treated equally.
Perched on a hill on the outskirts of Ankara, the 1,000-room Ak Saray (White Palace) is bigger than the White House or the Kremlin and ended up costing even more than the original £385m ($615m) price tag. Dominant landmark
Mr Erdogan owes much of his political success in the past decade to economic stability, with an average annual growth rate of 4.5%. Critics see a lavish new presidential palace as a symbol of Mr Erdogan's grandiose ambitions.
Turkey has developed into a manufacturing and export powerhouse. The AKP government kept inflation under control - no mean feat, as there were years in the 1990s when it soared above 100%. Overlooking Ankara, the 1,000-room Ak Saray (White Palace) is bigger than the White House or Kremlin, and it cost even more than the original £385m ($482m) price tag.
Mr Erdogan owes much of his popularity to economic stability, with an average annual growth rate of 4.5%.
Turkey has become a manufacturing and export powerhouse. The AKP government kept inflation under control - no mean feat, as there were years in the 1990s when it soared above 100%.
But in 2014 the economy began flagging - growth fell to 2.9% and unemployment rose above 10%.But in 2014 the economy began flagging - growth fell to 2.9% and unemployment rose above 10%.
On the international stage he has bitterly condemned Israel - previously a strong ally of Turkey - over its treatment of the Palestinians. Although there is now a rapprochement, the policy not only galvanised his Islamic base, but also made him a hugely popular leader across the Middle East. On the international stage he has bitterly condemned Israel - previously a strong ally of Turkey - over its treatment of the Palestinians. Although there is now a rapprochement with Israel, the policy made him hugely popular in the Arab world.
He has backed Syria's opposition in its fight against Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus.He has backed Syria's opposition in its fight against Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus.
But his tentative peace overtures to the Kurds in south-eastern Turkey soured when he refused to help Syrian Kurds battling Islamic State militants just across the border. He sometimes gives a four-finger salute - the "rabaa"- in solidarity with Egypt's repressed Muslim Brotherhood.
His tentative peace overtures to the Kurds in south-eastern Turkey soured when he refused to help Syrian Kurds battling Islamic State jihadists.
Like previous Turkish leaders, he has cracked down hard on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose guerrilla war continues unabated.