Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a prominent and influential figure in Turkish politics, has occupied several prestigious roles throughout his career. Presently, he serves as the 12th president of Turkey, a position he has held since 2014.
Prior to this, he held the position of the 25th prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and served as the mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.
Additionally, Erdoğan played a crucial role in establishing the Justice and Development Party, which has been in power since 2002.
REAL FACTS ABOUT ERDOGAN
FULL NAME: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
BETTER KNOWN AS: Recep Erdoğan
DATE OF BIRTH: February 26, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH: Kasımpaşa, Beyoğlu, Turkey.
NATIONALITY: Turkish
OCCUPATION: Turkish politician
MARTIAL STATUS: married
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a Turkish politician, was born on February 26, 1954, in Kasımpaşa, Beyoğlu, Turkey.
He was brought up by his parents, Ahmet Erdoğan (1905–1988) and Tensile Erdoğan (née Mutlu; 1924–2011), alongside his four siblings Vesile İlgen, Mustafa Erdoğan, Hasan Erdoğan, and Mehmet Erdoğan.
Erdoğan belongs to the Turkish ethnicity and practices the Islamic faith. He is a member of the Community of İskenderpaşa, a Turkish Sufistic community following the Naqshbandi tariqah.
While he attended school in Istanbul, he spent most of his summers in Güneysu, Rize, which is his family’s place of origin.
In 1965, Erdoğan completed his education at Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School, and in 1973, he graduated from Istanbul İmam Hatip High School, a religious vocational high school. Other co-founders of the AK Party also pursued the same educational path.
CAREER
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was born in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, had a successful career in the private sector before venturing into politics.
He studied at the Aksaray Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences and later worked as a consultant and senior manager in various private companies.
Although Erdoğan had a thriving career in the private sector, he decided to enter the political arena. In 1984, he was elected as the Welfare Party’s Beyoğlu district chair, and a year later, he became the Istanbul chair.
However, Erdoğan’s political journey was not without controversy. In 1998, he was convicted for inciting religious hatred and was subsequently banned from participating in politics due to reciting a poem that was deemed offensive.
Despite this setback, Erdoğan was released from prison in 1999 and went on to establish the AKP (Justice and Development Party).
During his time as the prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014, he made significant accomplishments and faced various challenges.
Under Erdoğan’s leadership, the AKP won three consecutive elections and implemented policies that contributed to the country’s economic recovery following the 2001 financial crisis.
Erdoğan’s government initiated negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the European Union and actively pursued peace talks to resolve the longstanding conflict with the PKK.
However, his administration faced criticism for its growing authoritarianism and restrictions on freedom of speech.
Erdoğan’s political career has endured, as he was elected president in 2014 and has remained in power since then.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a controversial figure as Turkey’s president since 2014.
Although he became the country’s first directly elected president, his tenure has been marred by a decline in democratic values and a shift towards a more autocratic style of governance.
His economic policies have also posed challenges, resulting in high inflation and the devaluation of the Turkish lira.
Apart from domestic concerns, Erdoğan has exhibited aggressive behavior towards other nations, including Greece, and has intervened in conflicts in Syria and Libya.
Furthermore, he has expanded Turkey’s role in providing refuge to displaced individuals and has launched military operations against various groups.
Most recently, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he has taken measures such as closing the Bosphorus to Russian naval reinforcements and facilitating a prisoner exchange through mediation.
PERSONAL LIFE
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a Turkish politician, has been married to Emine Erdoğan (formerly known as Gülbaran) since July 4, 1978.
They have four children together – two sons named Ahmet Burak (born in 1979) and Necmettin Bilal (born in 1981), and two daughters named Esra Erdoğan (born in 1983) and Sümeyye Erdoğan (born in 1985).
Unfortunately, Erdoğan’s father passed away in 1988, and his mother passed away in 2011 at the age of 87. Concerns have been raised about human rights violations due to his government’s crackdown on dissent and the media.
Furthermore, Erdoğan’s firm stance on political issues has strained Turkey’s relationships with other countries, resulting in tensions and dispute within the international community.
