Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Incumbent
Assumed office 
14 March 2003
President Abdullah Gül
Deputy Ali Babacan
Bülent Arınç
Preceded by Abdullah Gül
In office
27 March 1994 – 6 November 1998
Preceded by Nurettin Sözen
Succeeded by Ali Müfit Gürtuna
Born 26 February 1954 (1954-02-26) (age 55)
Kasımpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
Political party Justice and Development Party
Spouse(s) Emine Erdoğan
Alma mater Marmara University
Religion Islam
Signature Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Website Rte.gen.tr

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkish pronunciation: [reˈdʒep taːˈjip ˈerdoː.an]) (b. February 26, 1954 in Istanbul, Turkey)[1] is a Turkish politician, a former mayor of Istanbul and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey since 14 March 2003. He is also the chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti), which holds a majority of the seats in the Turkish Parliament.

Contents

[edit] Personal life and education

Born to a Georgian family that moved from Batumi to Rize, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan grew up, in the Kasımpaşa district of Istanbul, a less than affluent neighborhood, famous for its macho honor code.[2] Kasımpaşa men are known to be quick to anger, painfully proud and blunt in word, and he has always been proud of being one.[2]

Erdoğan spent his early childhood in Rize, where his father was a member of the Turkish Coast Guard.[3][3] The family returned to Istanbul when Erdoğan was 13 years old.[3] As a teenager, he sold lemonade and sesame buns on the streets of Istanbul's rougher districts to earn extra money.[3] Brought up in a observant Muslim family, he graduated from a religious high school (İmam Hatip school) and then studied management at Aksaray School of Economics and Commercial Sciences (now it is known as Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences).[4] In his youth, Erdoğan played semi-professional football in a local club.[4][5][6] The stadium of the local football club of the district he grew up in, Kasımpaşa S.K., a team which is currently playing in the Turkish Süper Lig, is named after him.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan married Emine Erdoğan (née Gülbaran) (b. 1955 in Siirt), whom he met during a conference, on 4 July 1978.[1] The couple has two sons (Ahmet Burak, Necmeddin Bilâl) and two daughters (Esra, Sümeyye).[1] Erdoğan gave a speech in New York on 19 December 2006 in which he talked mainly about the good relations between citizens of Turkey who come from different backgrounds by giving an example from his own life. Erdoğan said that he doesn't have any problems with his wife, Emine Erdoğan, who is of Arab ancestry and originally from a different Muslim denomination (Shāfi‘ī/Ash'ari).[1].

[edit] Early political career

[edit] Mayor of Istanbul, 1994-1998

Wiki letter w.svg This section requires expansion.

[edit] Imprisonment, 1998

Erdoğan's Islamist sympathies earned him a conviction in 1998.[3] As Mayor of Istanbul, Erdoğan was the most prominent mayor in the country. Because he was a national figure and hero to millions of Islamic-oriented voters, his case drew considerable attention.[7] He was sentenced to ten months imprisonment, of which he served only four between March and July 1999. Before the national elections in 2002, he was barred by the Turkish Electoral Board from running for elections because of this past conviction.[8] After his party's win at the polls, the constitution was modified to enable him to run in a by-election from the Siirt circonscription, his wife's home town,[9] thus allowing him to enter parliament and take over the post of Prime Minister from Abdullah Gül,[10] the actual President of Turkey.

Before his conviction, in 1997, the Welfare Party, of which he was a member at the time, was declared against constitution and shut down by the Turkish constitutional court on the grounds of threatening the secular nature of Turkey. In 1998, Erdoğan become a constant speaker at the demonstrations held by his colleagues from the banned Welfare Party. In a speech on 12 December 1997 at a public meeting in Siirt in the Eastern Anatolia region, Erdoğan identified Turkish society as having "two fundamentally different camps" – those who follow the Atatürk's Reforms [seculars] and the Muslims who unite Islam with Sharia.[11] He was given a prison sentence after he had read this well-known Islamic poem:[3]

[edit] Prime Ministership, 2003-present

See also: Turkish general election, 2002 and Turkish general election, 2007

On 17 October 2006, Prime Minister Erdoğan suffered a mild incident of shock in public attributed to hypoglycemia, caused by a combination of intense work and Ramadan fasting.[12] He was hospitalized but the doctors determined that he only needed a few days of rest and viewed his state of health as not being of serious concern. His transportation to the hospital became a phenomenon as well when the driver of his armoured vehicle accidentally locked the door to the vehicle leaving the keys inside. The security system of the vehicle locked all the doors with Erdoğan still inside, unconscious. A hammer was brought in from a nearby construction yard to break the bulletproof windows of the vehicle and rescue the Prime Minister[13].

[edit] Justice

In November 2005, a case was brought before the European Court of Human Rights by a female student who insisted on wearing a prohibited hijab (headcovering) to class. Turkish law prohibits the wearing of religious headcovering and theo-politically symbolic garments for both genders in government buildings, schools, and universities;[14] a law upheld by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights as "legitimate" on November 10, 2005 in Leyla Şahin v. Turkey.[15] When this appeal was rejected, Erdoğan said: "The court has no right to speak on this issue. That right belongs to the Ulema."[16]

Erdoğan's government instituted several reforms such as giving the European Court of Human Rights supremacy over Turkish courts, diminishing the powers of the 1991 Anti-Terror Law which had constrained Turkey’s democratization, and passing a partial amnesty to reduce penalties faced by many members of the Kurdish terrorist organization PKK who had surrendered to the government.[17]

On May 2007, the head of the top court in Turkey has asked prosecutors to consider whether Erdoğan should be charged over critical comments regarding the 2007 Presidential elections.[18] Erdoğan said the ruling was "a disgrace to the justice system", and criticized the Constitutional Court which had invalidated a presidential vote because a boycott of other parties meant there was no quorum. Prosecutors have already investigated his earlier comments, including saying it had fired a "bullet at democracy". Tülay Tuğcu, head of the Constitutional Court, condemned Erdoğan for "threats, insults and hostility" towards the justice system.[18]

On March 2006, the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) for the first time in Turkey's history held a press conference and publicly protest the obstruction of the appointment of judges to the high courts for over 10 months.[citation needed] They[who?] claimed Erdoğan wanted to fill the vacant posts with its own Islamic-minded appointees[who?] which through this policy Erdoğan was accused[who?] of creating a rift with the Turkey's highest court of appeals (the Yargitay) and high administrative court (the Danıştay).[citation needed] Erdoğan claimed[citation needed] that the constitution gave the power of assigning members to his elected party. Erdoğan hold the position that there is nothing wrong with their policy-making regarding the positions in the judiciary, as himself a graduate of the İmam Hatip school said: "sees no wrong in the appointment of tens of thousands of Koranic school graduates who already became judges as higher court judges".[citation needed]

[edit] Economy

Erdoğan's success story is keeping the economy on the track designed by World Bank economist Kemal Derviş.[citation needed] Erdoğan supported Ali Babacan in enforcing Derviş's macro-economic policies. Erdoğan did not cut the relations with international monetary control systems in favour of a more protectionist economy. The AK Party did quite well in almost all areas of the economy apart from the budget deficit.[citation needed] Erdoğan said that during this premiership the economy's average growth rate was 7.3%, that per capita annual income had almost doubled, and that all these were related to his economic reforms and the pursuit of European Union membership.[19] On the other hand, because of the control of foreign investors on the Turkish stock market, some views express concerns about the future stability of the economy.[20]

[edit] Education and health

Concerning birth control, Erdoğan had said that he personally did not practice it and was against it because the future required a dynamic young population.[17]

On April 2006, Erdoğan unveiled a social security reform package demanded by the International Monetary Fund under a loan deal. Erdoğan claimed that the move, which was passed with fierce opposition, was the one of the most radical reforms. Turkey’s three social security bodies were united under one roof, bringing equal health services and retirement benefits for members of all three bodies. Under the second bill, everyone below the age of 18 will be entitled to free health services, irrespective of whether they pay premiums to any social security organization or not. The bill also envisages a gradual increase in the retirement age. Starting from 2036, the retirement age will eventually increase to 65 as of 2048 for both women and men.[21]

Turkey's president approved on February 22, 2008 a pair of constitutional amendments that would allow female students to wear Islamic head scarves at universities.[22] These amendments were later overturned by the Constitutional Court of Turkey.

[edit] Foreign policy

R.Tayyip Erdoğan and Barack Obama visiting Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul

[edit] United States

When Barack Obama became President of United States, he made his first overseas trip to Turkey.

At a joint news conference in Turkey, Obama said: "I'm trying to make a statement about the importance of Turkey, not just to the United States but to the world. I think that where there's the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation, a predominantly Muslim nation -- a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents," he continued, "that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous, that there are not tensions -- inevitable tensions between cultures -- which I think is extraordinarily important."[23]

[edit] European Union

In 2004, Erdoğan was named by the European Voice the European of the Year for the reforms in his country and helping Turkey on the road to the EU. Erdoğan said in a comment that "Turkey's accession shows that Europe is a continent where civilisations reconcile and not clash." [24]

On 3 October 2005, the negotiations for Turkey's accession to the EU formally started during Erdoğan's tenure as Prime Minister.[25]

[edit] Greece and Cyprus

During Erdoğan's Prime Ministership, the relations with Greece have been normalized. The political and economic relations are strongly improved. In 2007, Prime Minister Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis met on the bridge over the Evros River at the border between Greece and Turkey, for the inauguration of the Greek-Turkish natural gas pipeline, linking the longtime Aegean rivals through a project that will give Caspian gas its first direct Western outlet and help ease Russia’s energy dominance.

Turkey and Greece signed agreement to create a Combined Joint Operational Unit within the framework of NATO to participate in Peace Support Operations.[26]

Erdogan and his party strongly supported the 2004 re-unification referendum of Cyprus. [27]

[edit] Armenia

During Erdoğan's Prime Ministership, Abdullah Gül became the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia, when he made the trip to Yerevan to watch a FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the countries.[28] Erdoğan also met numerous times with the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, the latest such meeting taking place during the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2009.[29]

On August 31, 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed protocols in Zurich to improve relations between the two countries.[30]

[edit] Iraq

Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Prime Ministry, Iraq and Turkey signed 48 trade agreements by the Iraqi-Turkish Strategic Council in Baghdad. Agreements signed included sectors of security, energy, oil, electricity, water, health, trade, environment, transport, housing, construction, agriculture, education, higher education, and defense.

Turkish government also warmed up relations with Northern Iraq by opening a Turkish university in Arbil, and a Turkish consulate in Mosul.[31]

[edit] Syria

During Erdoğan's term of office, the diplomatic relations with the two countries have significantly improved. In 2004, President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Turkey for the first official visit by a Syrian President in 57 years. In late 2004 Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan signed a free trade agreement with Syria. The visa restrictions between the two countries have been lifted in 2009. [32]

[edit] Israeli-Palestinian conflict

See also: Israel–Turkey relations
Erdoğan walks out of the session at the World Economic Forum in 2009, vows never to return.[33]

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Israel's independence, and has traditionally been a close political ally and strategic partner of Israel.[34] However, Erdoğan has taken a strong stance against Israel's role in the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, claiming "Israel’s bombardment of Gaza shows brutality and disrespect to the human life and targeting civilians. ... Whatever the reason is, killing innocent civilians will damage peace in the world."[35] He added that Hamas has also made mistakes in the peace process. Turkey is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council since January 2009, and Erdoğan asked the United Nations to bar Israel from participation as long as it does not respect the body's calls. Israel's Government spokesman Mark Regev responded that it is illogical to expect "that Israel unilaterally cease fire while Hamas would continue to target cities, trying to kill our people."[36]

On 29 January 2009, Erdoğan attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, but an hour later he walked out of the forum in protest. The debate became heated in relation to the Gaza conflict. The Israeli President Shimon Peres was heavily criticized by Erdoğan (sitting beside him) over the handling of the conflict as response to Peres' strong language. Erdoğan also accused the moderator of disrespecting him by giving extra time for Peres to speak since Peres was the only one of the four panelists to hold a view contrary to that of the majority, and had thus been given time nearly equal to the combined time of the other panelists.[37][38] The moderator, David Ignatius, had previously told Erdoğan that there was not enough time to "start the debate again" when he requested extra time beyond that which he had previously been allotted, because they had to go to "dinner".[39]

Erdoğan returned to Istanbul the next day, and was greeted by thousands of AKP supporters at the Istanbul Airport, with some present shouting, "Turkey is with you."[40] Erdoğan's claims that Israel was targeting civilians in Gaza rather than militants, were also backed by the main opposition leader Deniz Baykal. Baykal, however, criticized Erdoğan's behaviour as a political ploy aimed at influencing the upcoming municipal elections in Turkey.[41] He also criticized the AKP government's past close relations with Israel; Turkey and Israel have signed two agreements in 1996 and 2001 (prior to the AKP government) which allows both countries to use each other's air space and Air Force bases for joint training purposes.[42]

[edit] Vatican

During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, he said: "I believe it is a must for (the Pope) to retract his erroneous, ugly and unfortunate remarks and apologise both to the Islamic world and Muslims. …I hope he rapidly amends the mistake he has made so as not to overshadow the dialogue between civilizations and religions." [43] In November 2006 during a visit to Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI said he supports Turkish membership in the EU.

[edit] 2007 elections

[edit] Presidential election

See also: Turkish constitutional referendum, 2007

On April 14, 2007, an estimated 300,000 people marched in Ankara to protest the possible candidacy of Erdoğan in the 2007 presidential election, afraid that if elected as President, he would alter the secular nature of the Turkish state.[44] Erdoğan announced on April 24, 2007 that the party had decided to nominate Abdullah Gül as the AKP candidate in the presidential election.[45][46] The protests continued over the next several weeks, with over one million reported at an April 29 rally in Istanbul,[47][48] tens of thousands reported at separate protests on May 4 in Manisa and Çanakkale,[49][50][51] and anywhere from one to two million in İzmir on May 13.[52][53][54] Early parliamentary elections were called after the failure of the parties in parliament to agree on the next Turkish president. At the same time, Erdoğan claimed the failure to elect a president was a failure of the Turkish political system and proposed to modify the constitution.

Abdullah Gül was later elected President after the general elections on 22 July 2007 that saw AKP and Erdoğan brought back to power with 46.7 percent of the vote. Later in 2007, a referendum to modify the constitution to allow the people, rather than the Parliament, to elect the President was approved.

[edit] General elections

See also: Turkish general election, 2007
A poster from the 2007 general election campaign in Gaziantep.

The stage of the elections was set for a fight for legitimacy in the eyes of voters between his government, which has its roots in political Islam, and the country’s secularist movement.[citation needed] Erdoğan used the events at that took place during the ill-fated Presidential elections a few months earlier as a part of the general election campaign of his party. In the night of 22 July 2007, it became obvious that AKP had won an important victory over the opposition, garnering 46.7 percent of the popular vote. July 22 elections were only the second time in the Turkish Republic's 74-year history whereby an incumbent governing party won an election by increasing its share of popular support.

[edit] Proposed ban from politics, 2008

On 14 March 2008, Turkey's Chief Prosecutor asked the country's Constitutional Court to close Erdoğan's party and ban him from politics for five years.[55] Erdoğan and 70 other party members were accused of being involved in anti-secular activities.[55] Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya said that he believed there was enough evidence that Erdoğan has worked against Turkey's secular constitution.[55]

The party later narrowly escaped a ban on 30 July 2008, a year after winning 46.7 percent of the vote in national elections, only receiving a removal of 50% share of their public granted funds.[56].

[edit] Honors and accolades

[edit] Awards

Incomplete list:

  • In 2004, Erdoğan received the Profiles of Courage Award from the American Jewish Committee (AJC).[57]
  • On December 1, 2004, Erdoğan was named European of the Year by the weekly publication European Voice, for having put Turkey on the path to reform.[58]
  • On September 2, 2005, Erdoğan received the Mediterranean Award for Institutions (Italian: Premio Mediterraneo Istituzioni). This was awarded by the Fondazione Mediterraneo.[59]
  • On June 9, 2009, Erdogan was the the guest of honor at the 20th Crans Montana Forum in Brussels and received the Prix de la Fondation, for democracy and freedom.[60]
  • On October 26, 2009, the Government of Pakistan awarded Erdoğan the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award in Pakistan.[61]

[edit] Honorary doctorates

[edit] Honorary citizenship

  • Erdoğan received honorary citizen of Seoul on February 2004.[69]
  • Erdoğan received honorary citizen of Tehran on February 2009.[70]

[edit] See also

Search Wikisource Turkish Wikisource has original text related to this article:

[edit] References

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Political offices
Preceded by
Nurettin Sözen		 Mayor of Istanbul
1994 – 1998		 Succeeded by
Ali Müfit Gürtuna
Preceded by
Abdullah Gul		 Prime Minister of Turkey
2003–present		 Incumbent
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Newly Founded		 Leader of the Justice and Development Party
2003–present		 Incumbent
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