Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey, began his political activities while still at university. The career of the politician was rapid. Erdogan served as mayor of Istanbul, then prime minister. In 2014, he was elected president of the country.
Biography
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was born in Istanbul on February 26, 1954. The family was not wealthy, as a child he had to earn money selling lemonade and buns on the street.
In 1973, he graduated from Imam Hatip Istanbul School (Religious Vocational Secondary School). Erdogan then graduated from the Eyup High School. Graduated with honors from the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Marmara University in 1981.
From his youth, Erdogan began to lead an active social life and engage in politics. From 1969 to 1982 he was also interested in football, which taught him the importance of teamwork. The young man took part in the student branch of the National Turkish Student Association.
Political career
In 1994, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was elected Mayor of Istanbul. He became the first Islamist to hold this high office. The mayor demonstrated his religious commitment by banning the sale of alcohol in city cafes. He also successfully tackled the city's water shortage, reduced pollution and improved the city's infrastructure, and helped modernize the country's capital.
In December 1997, Erdogan was faced with a serious charge. He was found guilty of violating the law of secularism and inciting religious hatred. Erdogan was forced to resign as mayor and was sentenced to prison, he was imprisoned for 120 days in 1999.
Prime Minister
In 2001, Erdogan co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which won the 2002 parliamentary elections, and Erdogan soon regained power through a constitutional amendment that overturned his criminal record. He became Prime Minister of Turkey on March 9, 2003, and then was twice re-elected to this position.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkey's economic situation has improved markedly. He encouraged foreign investment, which led to an increase in per capita income, strengthened ties with Western allies. However, Erdogan increasingly became known as an authoritarian leader. In 2013, several high-ranking military officials were convicted and sentenced to life sentences for planning to overthrow the AKP. Erdogan also ordered the military to suppress peaceful demonstrations in Gezi Park in Istanbul. Condemning the use of social media, he briefly blocked Turkey's access to Twitter and YouTube.
The president
At the end of the prime minister's term, Erdogan became the AKP candidate in Turkey's first direct presidential elections and won. Although the post in Turkey was previously more ceremonial, Erdogan indicated his intention to establish new powers as president.
On the night of July 15, 2016, as a result of an attempted military coup, a wave of riots broke out. The coup attempt, which killed more than 200 people and injured about 3,000 more, was suppressed within hours. After the suppression of the coup attempt, Erdogan began to insist on the restoration of the death penalty in Turkey, as a result of which a conflict arose with the European Union and the visa-free regime with Turkey was canceled.
In April 2017, the post of prime minister was abolished, giving the Turkish president new executive powers, including the ability to appoint judges and officials. After Erdogan called for early elections in 2018, opposition parties have launched a vigorous battle in an attempt to stop his consolidation of power. However, the president earned 53% of the vote in the June 24 elections.
Personal life
The President of Turkey is married, the marriage was concluded in 1978. His wife is Emina Gulbaran. The family had four children: two sons and two daughters.
