Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Turkish politician serving as the current President of Turkey, holding the position since 2014. He has just been re-elected president. He previously served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014 and as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.
Therefore having been in government and in power for so long, it appears Mr Erdogan does not know anything else. This was probably why a state of emergency was imposed after a violent attempt was made to remove him.
Instead of loosening up, Erdogan, who carries himself like an emperor, closed NGOs, newspapers and arts centres after the coup. Mr Erdogan’s political opponents are bullied, blackmailed and silenced.
When Mr Erdogan called elections 17 months early he was probably banking on the division in the ranks of the opposition. He may also have reckoned that the secular Turks, beaten into apathy, would forfeit their vote for their summer beach holiday. To his shock, Turks did turn out to vote in large numbers, making the result closer than many expected. The figures appear to show that Mr Erdogan is alienating many Turks.
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