Explained: How Turkey’s President Erdogan has maintained a tight grip on power for 3 decades

New Delhi: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is set to take the oath of office on Saturday following his latest election victory and begin his third presidential term. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president for 20 years, won the race last weekend despite the country’s ongoing economic crisis and a backlash critical of his government, which has killed more than 50,000 people. .

Known as ‘Reis’ or ‘The Chief’ among his admirers, 69-year-old Erdogan is already the longest-serving leader in the history of the Republic of Turkey. His re-election to a five-year term running until 2028 extends his rule to a third decade, and he could possibly serve longer with the help of a friendly parliament.

Here’s a look at Erdogan’s career and some of the reasons for his political longevity.

it’s not the economy
Many experts agree that Turkey’s dire economic woes are the result of Erdogan’s unorthodox fiscal policies, in particular, dovish interest rates against rampant inflation despite warnings from economists. However, the majority of voters did not seem to count against him as he received 52 percent of the runoff vote.

Erdogan’s approval fell to 85 percent in October, down from 44 percent in April amid Turkey’s cost-of-living crisis, a result that may be the result of many people preferring stability over change. They are struggling to pay the skyrocketing prices for rent and basic amenities. things. The President has demonstrated in the past the ability to turn around the economy. And he has never shied away from spending and deploying government resources for his political gains.

Over the past two decades, his government has spent lavishly on infrastructure to please voters. In the period before last month’s parliamentary and presidential elections, he raised wages and pensions and scaled back electricity and gas subsidies to cushion the blow from inflation.

A point of pride for many voters is Turkey’s military-industrial sector. Throughout the campaign, Erdogan frequently cited domestically-made drones, aircraft and a warship, described as the world’s first ‘drone carrier’.

on the world stage
The way Erdogan has navigated the world stage has won many Turks over to his side. Supporters see him as a leader who has displayed an independent streak while engaging with East and West, showing that Turkey can be a major player in geopolitics. Turkey is a key member of NATO due to its strategic position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it controls the alliance’s second largest military. During Erdogan’s tenure, the country has proven to be an indispensable and sometimes troublesome NATO ally.

The Turkish government has blocked Sweden’s entry into NATO and purchased Russian missile-defense systems, prompting the United States to exclude Turkey from the US-led fighter jet project. Nevertheless, Turkey, along with the United Nations, brokered a crucial wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to resume shipping grain via the Black Sea to parts of the world ravaged by hunger. Erdogan has hailed his re-election, which comes as the country prepares to mark the republic’s centenary, as the beginning of the ‘Century of Turkey’.

return to islamic roots
Erdogan has cultivated deep loyalty from conservative and religious supporters by elevating Islamic values ​​in a country defined by secularism for nearly a century. He has curbed the powers of the military, which often interfered in civilian politics whenever the country began to deviate from secularism. He overcame rules that prevented Orthodox women from wearing the hijab in schools and government offices.

He converted Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, fulfilling a long-standing demand of Turkish Islamists. The Byzantine-era cathedral first became a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople, but continued to serve as a museum for decades.
More recently, he has criticized LGBTQ+ rights, suggesting that they pose a threat to the traditional, conservative notion of what constitutes a family.

tight control of the media
During his decades in power, Erdogan tightened control over the media. Most Turkish news outlets are now owned by groups loyal to him. He has used his position to silence criticism and humiliate the opposition. International election observers observed that the first round of the presidential election on 14 May and the runoff on 28 May were free but not fair.

While voters in the second round had a choice between real political options, Farah Karimi, coordinator of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, said ‘did biased media coverage and the lack of a level-playing field give the incumbent an unfair advantage? ,

Erdogan’s opponent in the runoff election, opposition leader Kemal Kilikdaroglu, promised to return Turkey to a democratic path by undoing the president’s economic policies and ending the crackdown on free speech.