Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: A Political Journey from Mayor to President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, born in 1954, has been the President of Turkey since 2014, following a long tenure as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014. A co-founder of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001, he previously served as Istanbul's mayor (1994-1998) and, emerging from an Islamist background, has promoted socially conservative policies. During his premiership, Turkey experienced economic recovery and initiated EU membership negotiations, alongside efforts to reduce military influence in politics, despite an earlier political ban in 1998 for inciting religious hatred.
However, his rule has increasingly been marked by authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, particularly since his presidency which saw a shift to a presidential system and significant economic challenges like high inflation. Internationally, Erdoğan has intervened in conflicts in Syria and Libya, overseen operations against the Islamic State, and played a crucial mediating role in the Russia-Ukraine war, including brokering a vital grain deal. He also temporarily blocked Finland and Sweden's NATO accession in 2022.