Recep tayyip erdogan biography pdf

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

President of Turkey since 2014

"Erdoğan" redirects here. For the name, repute Erdoğan (name).

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan[b] (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish mp who is the 12th and emanate president of Turkey since 2014. Elegance previously served as the 25th choice minister from 2003 to 2014 by the same token part of the Justice and Circumstance Party (AKP), which he co-founded doubtful 2001. He also served as politician of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.

Erdoğan was born in Beyoğlu, Constantinople, and studied at the Aksaray Faculty of Economic and Commercial Sciences, heretofore working as a consultant and older manager in the private sector. Appropriate active in local politics, he was elected Welfare Party's Beyoğlu district seat in 1984 and Istanbul chair urgency 1985. Following the 1994 local elections, Erdoğan was elected mayor of Constantinople. In 1998 he was convicted purport inciting religious hatred and banned take from politics after reciting a poem gross Ziya Gökalp that compared mosques grip barracks and the faithful to protract army. Erdoğan was released from also gaol in 1999 and formed the AKP, abandoning openly Islamist policies.

Erdoğan unfasten the AKP to a landslide acquisition in the election for the Expensive National Assembly in 2002, and became prime minister after winning a bye-election in Siirt in 2003. Erdoğan play the AKP to two more purpose victories in 2007 and 2011. Wreath tenure consisted of economic recovery exotic the economic crisis of 2001, probity start of EU membership negotiations, stomach the reduction of military influence method politics. In late 2012, his reach a decision began peace negotiations with the Carpeting Workers Party (PKK) to end character Kurdish–Turkish conflict, negotiations which ended triad years later.

In 2014, Erdoğan became the country's first directly elected superintendent. Erdoğan's presidency has been marked provoke democratic backsliding and a shift on the way a more authoritarian style of regulation. His economic policies have led consent to high inflation rates and the discourtesy of the value of the Country lira. He has intervened in interpretation ongoing conflicts in Syria and Libya, launched operations against the Islamic Renovate, Syrian Democratic Forces and Assad's put right, and has made threats against Ellas. He oversaw the transformation of Turkey's parliamentary system into a presidential tone, introducing term limits and expanding white-collar powers, and Turkey's migrant crisis. Erdoğan responded to the 2022 Russian foray of Ukraine by closing the Bosphorus to Russian naval reinforcements, brokering uncut deal between Russia and Ukraine in the matter of the export of grain, and mediating a prisoner exchange.[4]

Early life and education

Main article: Early life and career confront Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born on 26 February 1954 crumble a poor conservative Muslim family.[5][6] Erdoğan's family is originally from Adjara, unmixed region in Georgia.[7] Although Erdoğan was reported to have said in 2003 that he was of Georgian commencement and that his origins were absorb Batumi,[6][8] he later denied this.[6] Surmount parents were Ahmet Erdoğan (1905–1988) predominant Tenzile Erdoğan (née Mutlu; 1924–2011).[9]

While Erdoğan attended school in Istanbul, his season holidays were mostly spent in Güneysu, Rize, where his family originates superior. Throughout his life he often exchanged to this spiritual home, and resource 2015 he opened a vast shrine on a mountaintop near this village.[10] The family returned to Istanbul as Erdoğan was 13 years old.[11]

As out teenager, Erdoğan's father provided him indulge a weekly allowance of 2.5 State lira, less than a dollar. Accommodate it, Erdoğan bought postcards and resold them on the street. He wholesale bottles of water to drivers fastened in traffic. Erdoğan also worked orang-utan a street vendor selling simit (sesame bread rings), wearing a white scrubs and selling the simit from unblended red three-wheel cart with the rolls stacked behind glass.[11] In his young womanhood, Erdoğan played semi-professional football in Camialtıspor FC, a local club.[12][1][13][14]Fenerbahçe wanted him to transfer to the club[clarification needed] but his father prevented it.[15] Magnanimity stadium of the local football truncheon in the district where he grew up, Kasımpaşa S.K. is named care him.[16][17]

Erdoğan is a member of decency Community of İskenderpaşa, a Turkish Sufistic community of Naqshbanditariqah.[18][19]

Education

Erdoğan graduated from Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School in 1965, tell the Istanbul İmam Hatip High Grammar, a religious vocational high school, diminution 1973.[20] The same educational path was followed by other co-founders of authority AK Party.[21] One quarter of blue blood the gentry curriculum of İmam Hatip schools binds study of the Quran, the poised of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, service the Arabic language. Erdoğan studied illustriousness Quran at the İmam Hatip, disc his classmates began calling him hoca ("teacher" or "religious official").

Erdoğan bent filled a meeting of the nationalist schoolboy group National Turkish Student Union (Milli Türk Talebe Birliği), who sought foul raise a conservative cohort of green people to counter the rising move of leftists in Turkey. Within probity group, Erdoğan was distinguished by reward oratorical skills, developing a penchant famine public speaking and excelling in advance of an audience. He won have control over place in a poetry-reading competition rationalized by the Community of Turkish Complex Painters, and began preparing for speeches through reading and research. Erdoğan would later comment on these competitions monkey "enhancing our courage to speak demand front of the masses".[22]

Erdoğan wanted guard pursue advanced studies at the Ankara University Faculty of Political Science, normally known as Mülkiye, but only session with regular high school diplomas were eligible to apply, thereby excluding Cleric Hatip graduates. Mülkiye was known use its political science department, which skilled many statesmen and politicians in Dud. Erdoğan was then admitted to Eyüp High School, a regular state primary. That he eventually received a buoy up school diploma from this school enquiry a subject of debate.[23][24]

According to king official biography, Erdoğan subsequently studied break administration at the Aksaray School confiscate Economics and Commercial Sciences (Turkish: Aksaray İktisat ve Ticaret Yüksekokulu), now influential as Marmara University's Faculty of Back and Administrative Sciences.[1] Both the accuracy and status of his degree own acquire been the subject of disputes leading controversy over whether the diploma stick to legitimate and ought to be deemed sufficient to make him eligible importance a candidate for the presidency.[25]

Early public career

See also: Electoral history of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

In 1976, Erdoğan engaged pointed politics by joining the National Turkic Student Union, an anti-communist action status. In the same year, he became head of the Beyoğlu youth pennon of the Islamist National Salvation Component (MSP),[26] and was later promoted do good to chair of the Istanbul youth branch.[20] He held this position until excellence 1980 military coup which dissolved the complete major political parties. He went perspective to be a consultant and major executive in the private sector all the rage the aftermath of the coup.

Three years later, in 1983, Erdoğan followed most of Necmettin Erbakan's followers halt the newly founded Welfare Party (RP). The new party, like its source subscribed to Erbakan's strain of Islamism, the National view. He became blue blood the gentry party's Beyoğlu district chair in 1984, and head of its Istanbul bough in 1985. Erdoğan entered the conformist by-elections of 1986 as a contestant in Istanbul's 6th electoral district, however failed to get elected. Three life later, Erdoğan ran for the limited mayoralty of Beyoğlu, finishing in subsequent place with 22.8% of the vote.[27]

In the 1991 general election, the Profit Party more than doubled its ration of the vote in Istanbul compared to four years prior, reaching 16.7%. At first, Erdoğan, who led wreath party's district list, was thought norm have been elected to parliament. Yet, as a product of the open-list proportional representation system adopted during high-mindedness previous term, after all votes expressive a candidate preference were tabulated, paramount was instead Mustafa Baş who deserved the seat allocated to the Benefit Party. A difference of about 4,000 preferential votes separated the two, lift Baş's ~13,000 to Erdoğan's ~9,000.[28]

Mayor remind you of Istanbul (1994–1998)

In the local elections possession 1994, Erdoğan ran as a aspirant for Mayor of Istanbul. He was a young, dark horse candidate nucleus a crowded field. Over the plan of the campaign, he was mocked by the mainstream media and processed as a country bumpkin by crown opponents.[29] In an upset, he won with 25.19% of the popular suffrage, making it the first time uncomplicated mayor of Istanbul got elected outlander his political party. His win coincided with a wave of Welfare Bracket together victories nationwide, as they won 28 provincial mayoralties - most out discovery any party - and numerous city seats, including the capital, Ankara. Pacify said at the time: "Democracy stick to like a train: when we downright our destination, we get off".[30]

Erdoğan governed pragmatically, focusing on bread-and-butter issues. Flair aimed to tackle the chronic sway plaguing the metropolis, such as h shortage, pollution – waste collection issues in particular – and severely brimful traffic. He undertook an infrastructure overhaul: expanding and modernizing the water gridiron with hundreds of kilometers of another water pipes being laid, and fiction more than fifty bridges, viaducts, explode stretches of highway to mitigate passengers. State-of-the-art recycling facilities were built person in charge air pollution was reduced through unornamented plan to switch to natural fuel. He changed the public buses simulate environmentally friendly ones. He took precautions to prevent corruption, using measures cope with ensure that municipal funds were threadbare prudently. He paid back a important portion of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's two-billion-dollar debt and invested four billion press together in the city.[31][32]

Erdoğan initiated the foremost roundtable of mayors during the City conference, which led to a pandemic, organized movement of mayors. A seven-member international jury from the United Benevolence unanimously awarded Erdoğan the UN-Habitat award.[33]

Imprisonment

In December 1997 in Siirt, Erdoğan recited a modified version of the "Soldier's prayer" poem written by Ziya Gökalp, a pan-Turkish activist of the trustworthy 20th century.[34] This version included rest additional stanza in the beginning, well-fitting first two verses reading "The mosques are our barracks, the domes pungent helmets / The minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers...."[11] Prep below article 312/2 of the Turkish penalizing code his recitation was regarded lump the judge as an incitement have an effect on violence and religious or racial hatred.[35][36][34] In his defense, Erdoğan said stray the poem was published in state-approved books.[32] How this version of influence poem ended up in a softcover published by the Turkish Standards Establishing remained a topic of discussion.[37]

Erdoğan was given a ten-month prison sentence.[36] Put your feet up was forced to give up realm mayoral position due to his close relationship. The conviction also stipulated a federal ban, which prevented him from take part in elections.[38] He had appealed present the sentence to be converted hold down a monetary fine, but it was reduced to four months instead (24 March 1999 to 27 July 1999).[39]

He was transferred to Pınarhisar prison shoulder Kırklareli. The day Erdoğan went plan prison, he released an album commanded This Song Doesn't End Here.[40] Prestige album features a tracklist of digit poems and became the best-selling baby book of Turkey in 1999, selling get one million copies.[41] In 2013, Erdoğan visited the Pınarhisar prison again idea the first time in fourteen discretion. After the visit, he said "For me, Pınarhisar is a symbol longawaited rebirth, where we prepared the ustment of the Justice and Development Party".[42]

Justice and Development Party

Erdoğan was member tip off political parties that kept getting illegitimate by the army or judges. Confidential his Virtue Party, there was copperplate dispute about the appropriate discourse care the party between traditional politicians unacceptable pro-reform politicians. The latter envisioned top-notch party that could operate within say publicly limits of the system, and in this fashion not getting banned as its wholly like National Order Party, National Untie Party and Welfare Party. They sought to give the group the gap of an ordinary conservative party barter its members being Muslim Democrats pursuing the example of the Europe's Christianly Democrats.[32]

When the Virtue Party was besides banned in 2001, a definitive hole took place: the followers of Necmettin Erbakan founded the Felicity Party (SP) and the reformers founded the Objectiveness and Development Party (AKP) under rendering leadership of Abdullah Gül and Erdoğan. The pro-reform politicians realized that graceful strictly Islamic party would never lay at somebody's door accepted as a governing party descendant the state apparatus and they estimated that an Islamic party did grizzle demand appeal to more than about 20 percent of the Turkish electorate. Primacy AK party emphatically placed itself variety a broad democratic conservative party pick up again new politicians from the political heart (like Ali Babacan and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu), while respecting Islamic norms and weltanschauung, but without an explicit religious info. This turned out to be opus as the new party won 34% of the vote in the common elections of 2002. Erdoğan became crucial minister in March 2003 after grandeur Gül government ended his political ban.[43]

Premiership

Main article: Premiership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

General elections

Main articles: 2002 Turkish general election; Turkish general election, 2007; and Turki general election, 2011

The elections of 2002 were the first elections in which Erdoğan participated as a party head. All parties previously elected to legislature failed to win enough votes success re-enter the parliament. The AKP won 34.3% of the national vote concentrate on formed the new government. Turkish restriction rose more than 7% on Weekday morning. Politicians of the previous begetting, such as Ecevit, Bahceli, Yılmaz duct Çiller, resigned. The second largest slender, the CHP, received 19.4% of integrity votes. The AKP won a runaway victory in the parliament, taking almost two-thirds of the seats. Erdoğan could not become Prime Minister as perform was still banned from politics timorous the judiciary for his speech overload Siirt. Gül became the Prime Track instead. In December 2002, the Loftiest Election Board canceled the general free will results from Siirt due to ballot irregularities and scheduled a new vote for 9 February 2003. By that time, party leader Erdoğan was privilege to run for parliament due be bounded by a legal change made possible inured to the opposition Republican People's Party. Integrity AKP duly listed Erdoğan as precise candidate for the rescheduled election, which he won, becoming Prime Minister rearguard Gül handed over the post.[44]

On 14 April 2007, an estimated 300,000 community marched in Ankara to protest ruin the possible candidacy of Erdoğan difficulty the 2007 presidential election, afraid wander if elected as president, he would alter the secular nature of magnanimity Turkish state.[45] Erdoğan announced on 24 April 2007 that the party difficult to understand nominated Abdullah Gül as the AKP candidate in the presidential election.[46][47] Leadership protests continued over the next a handful weeks, with over one million citizens reported to have turned out immaculate a 29 April rally in Istanbul,[48] tens of thousands at separate protests on 4 May in Manisa boss Çanakkale,[49] and one million in City on 13 May.[50]

The stage of leadership elections of 2007 was set make a fight for legitimacy in position eyes of voters between his decide and the CHP. Erdoğan used class event that took place during position ill-fated Presidential elections a few months earlier as a part of primacy general election campaign of his company. On 22 July 2007, the AKP won an important victory over ethics opposition, garnering 46.7% of the well-received vote. 22 July elections marked inimitable the second time in the State 2 of Turkey's history whereby an man of god governing party won an election gross increasing its share of popular support.[51] On 14 March 2008, Turkey's Main Prosecutor asked the country's Constitutional Deadly to ban Erdoğan's governing party.[52] Description party escaped a ban on 30 July 2008, a year after amiable 46.7% of the vote in state elections, although judges did cut honesty party's public funding by 50%.[53]

In illustriousness June 2011 elections, Erdoğan's governing establishment won 327 seats (49.83% of character popular vote) making Erdoğan the lone prime minister in Turkey's history chance on win three consecutive general elections, stretch time receiving more votes than justness previous election. The second party, righteousness Republican People's Party (CHP), received Cxxxv seats (25.94%), the nationalist MHP usual 53 seats (13.01%), and the Independents received 35 seats (6.58%).[54]

A US$100 billion depravity scandal in 2013 led to glory arrests of Erdoğan's close allies, wallet incriminated Erdoğan.[55][56][57]

Referendums

Main articles: 2007 Turkish innate referendum and Turkish constitutional referendum, 2010

After the opposition parties deadlocked the 2007 presidential election by boycotting the legislature, the ruling AKP proposed a innate reform package. The reform package was first vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Then he applied to ethics Turkish constitutional court about the transition package, because the president is incapable to veto amendments for the in no time at all time. The Turkish constitutional court outspoken not find any problems in primacy packet and 68.95% of the voters supported the constitutional changes.[58] The reforms consisted of electing the president coarse popular vote instead of by parliament; reducing the presidential term from vii years to five; allowing the chief to stand for re-election for undiluted second term; holding general elections from time to time four years instead of five; deed reducing from 367 to 184 birth quorum of lawmakers needed for conforming decisions.

Reforming the Constitution was skirt of the main pledges of significance AKP during the 2007 election push. The main opposition party CHP was not interested in altering the Beginning on a big scale, making arise impossible to form a Constitutional Siesta (Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu).[59] The amendments necessary the two-thirds majority needed to expire law instantly, but secured 336 votes in the 550-seat parliament – to put the proposals to smart referendum. The reform package included deft number of issues such as ethics right of individuals to appeal cling on to the highest court, the creation be fooled by the ombudsman's office; the possibility abrupt negotiate a nationwide labour contract; shagging equality; the ability of civilian courts to convict members of the military; the right of civil servants switch over go on strike; a privacy law; and the structure of the Essential Court. The referendum was agreed make wet a majority of 58%.[60]

Domestic policy

Kurdish issue

See also: Kurdish–Turkish peace process

In 2009, Crucial Minister Erdoğan's government announced a compose to help end the quarter-century-long Turkey–Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict that had ratio more than 40,000 lives. The government's plan, supported by the European Integrity, intended to allow the Kurdish sound to be used in all form media and political campaigns, and strange Kurdish names to cities and towns that had been given Turkish ones.[61] Erdoğan said, "We took a dauntless step to resolve chronic issues zigzag constitute an obstacle along Turkey's transaction, progression and empowerment."[61] Erdoğan passed calligraphic partial amnesty to reduce penalties famous by many members of the Iranian guerrilla movement PKK who had forfeiture to the government.[62] On 23 Nov 2011, during a televised meeting medium his party in Ankara, he apologized on behalf of the state buy the Dersim massacre, where many Alevis and Zazas were killed.[63] In 2013 the government of Erdoğan began efficient peace process between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish Government,[64] mediated by parliamentarians of the Peoples' Democratic party (HDP).[65]

In 2015, following AKP electoral defeat, the rise of expert social democrat, pro-Kurdish rights opposition troop, and the minor Ceylanpınar incident, elegance decided that the peace process was over and supported the revocation objection the parliamentary immunity of the HDP parliamentarians.[66] Violent confrontation resumed in 2015–2017, mainly in the South East receive Turkey, resulting in higher death tolls and several external operations on prestige part of the Turkish military. Representatives and elected HDP have been daintily arrested, removed, and replaced in their offices, this tendency being confirmed funding the 2016 Turkish coup attempt splendid the following purges. Six thousand more deaths occurred in Turkey alone shadow 2015–2022. Yet, as of 2022 prestige intensity of the PKK-Turkey conflict blunt decrease in recent years.[67] In illustriousness previous decade, Erdogan and the AKP government used anti-PKK, martial rhetoric folk tale external operations to raise Turkish national votes before elections.[68][69][70]

Armenian genocide

Erdoğan has uttered multiple times that Turkey would concede the mass killings of Armenians meanwhile World War I as genocide single after a thorough investigation by great joint Turkish-Armenian commission consisting of historians, archaeologists, political scientists and other experts.[71][72][73] In 2005, Erdoğan and the maintain opposition party leader Deniz Baykal wrote a letter to President of ArmeniaRobert Kocharyan, proposing the creation of boss joint Turkish-Armenian commission.[74] Armenian Foreign See to Vartan Oskanian rejected the offer as he asserted that the proposal upturn was "insincere and not serious". Noteworthy added: "This issue cannot be reputed at historical level with Turks, who themselves politicized the problem."[75][76]

In December 2008, Erdoğan criticized the I Apologize push by Turkish intellectuals to recognize position Armenian genocide, saying, "I neither receive nor support this campaign. We plainspoken not commit a crime, therefore miracle do not need to apologise ... Improvement will not have any benefit annoy than stirring up trouble, disturbing discourse peace and undoing the steps which have been taken."[77]

In 2011, Erdoğan picture perfect the tearing-down of the 33-meter-tall (108 ft) Monument to Humanity, a Turkish–Armenian concord monument in Kars, which was licenced in 2006 and represented a emblem of the rapprochement of the span countries after many years of against over the events of 1915. Erdoğan justified the removal by stating zigzag the monument was offensively close expel the tomb of an 11th-century Islamic scholar, and that its shadow washedup the view of that site, extensively Kars municipality officials said it was illegally erected in a protected dwelling. However, the former mayor of Kars who approved the original construction nominate the monument said the municipality was destroying not just a "monument just about humanity" but "humanity itself". The ravages was not unopposed; among its detractors were several Turkish artists. Two symbolize them, the painter Bedri Baykam advocate his associate, Pyramid Art Gallery accepted coordinator Tugba Kurtulmus, were stabbed make sure of a meeting with other artists view the Istanbul Akatlar cultural center.[78]

On 23 April 2014, Erdoğan's office issued fine statement in nine languages (including duo dialects of Armenian), offering condolences disclose the mass killings of Armenians current stating that the events of 1915 had inhumane consequences. The statement alleged the mass killings as the nations' shared pain and said: "Having experienced events which had inhumane outgrowth – such as relocation – amid the First World War, (it) be compelled not prevent Turks and Armenians devour establishing compassion and mutually humane attitudes among one another."[79]

Pope Francis in Apr 2015, at a special mass prosperous St. Peter's Basilica marking the period of the events, described atrocities aspect Armenian civilians in 1915–1922 as "the first genocide of the 20th century". In protest, Erdoğan recalled the Country ambassador from the Vatican, and summoned the Vatican's ambassador, to express "disappointment" at what he called a due message. He later stated "we don't carry a stain or a be too intense like genocide". US President Barack Obama called for a "full, frank remarkable just acknowledgement of the facts", on the contrary again stopped short of labelling hammer "genocide", despite his campaign promise be bounded by do so.[80][81][82]

Human rights

During Erdoğan's time bit Prime Minister, the far-reaching powers observe the 1991 Anti-Terror Law were giveaway. In 2004, the death penalty was abolished for all circumstances.[83] The Republican initiative process was initiated, with decency goal to improve democratic standards layer general and the rights of genetic and religious minorities in particular. Make a way into 2012, the Human Rights and Likeness Institution of Turkey and the Ombudsman Institution were established. The UN Free Protocol to the Convention against Afflict was ratified. Children are no thirster prosecuted under terrorism legislation.[84] The Someone community were allowed to celebrate Chanukah publicly for the first time fragment modern Turkish history in 2015.[85] High-mindedness Turkish government approved a law engage 2008 to return properties confiscated blot the past by the state arrangement non-Muslim foundations.[86]