Jump to content

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 82.230.24.185 (talk) at 22:54, 1 February 2009 (→‎Prime Ministership, 2002-present: since the two seperate PM tenure sections were merged, this should be added as a see also here as well). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Erdoğan" redirects here. For the Turkish helicopter Erdoğan, see Kamov Ka-50.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime Minister of Turkey
Assumed office
14 March 2003
PresidentAbdullah Gül
DeputyAbdullah Gül
Cemil Çiçek
Hayati Yazıcıoğlu
Nazım Ekren
Preceded byAbdullah Gül
Mayor of Istanbul
In office
27 March 1994 – 06 November 1998
Preceded byNurettin Sözen
Succeeded byAli Müfit Gürtuna
Personal details
Born (1954-01-26) 26 January 1954 (age 70)
Istanbul, Turkey
Political partyAKP
SpouseEmine Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (ˈrɛdʒɛp ˈtɑːjip ˈɛrdɔːɑn) (b. January 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 (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi - "AKP"), the reigning political party in the Turkish Parliament.

Personal life and education

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born, and mostly grew up, in the Kasımpaşa district of Istanbul, a middle-class neigborhood 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] His family are descendants of Adjara Georgian immigrants who had settled from Batumi, Georgia, to Rize, in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.[3]

Erdoğan spent his early childhood in Rize where his family had settled and where his father worked in the Turkish Coast Guard.[4] The family returned to Istanbul when Erdoğan was 13 years-old.[4] As a teenager, he sold lemonade and sesame buns on the streets of Istanbul's rougher districts to earn extra cash.[5] After graduating from a religious high school (İmam Hatip school) he studied management at Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.[5] In his youth, Erdoğan played semi-professional football in a local club.[6][7][5] The stadium of the local football club of the district he grew up in, Kasımpaşa S.K., a team which played in the Turkish Süper Lig before being relegated in June 2008, 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]

Early political career

Mayor of Istanbul 1994-1998

During his tenure, he delivered a controversial speech on the subject of secularism in Turkey, stating at the opening ceremony of the Welfare Party's İstanbul Ümraniye District Bureau that "It is not possible to be secular and Muslim at the same time. They are continuously saying, "Secularism is in danger". It will be, if this nation demands it. You can not prevent it. The Islamic nation is waiting for the rise of the Muslim Turkish nation. We will. This rebellion will start".[8]

This led Ankara state prosecutor of the time, Nuh Mete Yüksel, to open an investigation against him. However, since the AKP era his position has dramatically shifted and he has repeatedly reiterated his support of secularism.[9]

1998 imprisonment

Erdoğan's Islamist sympathies earned him a conviction in 1998.[4] 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.[10] He was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment of which he served four between March and July 1999. Before the national elections in 2002, he was barred by the Turkish Electoral Board from running for elections.[11] After his party's win at the polls, the law was modified to be able to let him run in a by-election from a circonscription from his wife's home town of Siirt,[12] thus allowing him to take over the post of Prime Minister from Abdullah Gül.[13]

In 1997, the Welfare Party was declared unconstitutional and was shut down on the grounds of threatening the secular nature of the state. In 1998, Erdoğan become a constant speaker at the demonstrations held by his colleagues from the banned Welfare Party. Secularism in Turkey has been taken very seriously since the establishment of the state with Kemalist ideology as its guiding principle. In line with the Atatürk's Reforms, the Constitution of Turkey states that laïcité, social equality, and equality before law are the main and unchangeable characteristics of Turkey. Kemalist ideology also adopted the position of "public reason", which claimed that activities falling outside of the private sphere should be secular and no religious group should be given permission to dominate over other belief systems. Any activity or promotion of domination over other belief systems are felt to fall under the somewhat controversial concept of "incitement to religious hatred", which has been part of the Turkish constitution since its establishment. The "religious hatred" concept has been used against the movements that promoted the reestablishment of the abolished Ottoman Caliphate and Islamic fundamentalist positions. There is no question that Erdoğan is pro-Islamic (he calls himself a religious conservative) but the extent of his position towards the fundamentally secular nature of the state was called into question on 12 December, 1997 at a public meeting in Siirt in Eastern Anatolia. In his speech, Erdoğan identified Turkish society as having "two fundamentally different camps" – those who blindly follow the Atatürk's Reforms [seculars] and the Muslims who unite Islam with Sharia.[14] He publicly read a well-known Islamic poem including modified lines:[4]

Erdogan's beginning Original beginning

"Mosques are our barracks,
domes our helmets,
minarets our bayonets,
believers our soldiers.
This holy army guards my religion.

Almighty our journey is our destiny,
the end is martyrdom.
....
....

— Erdogan's version.[15]
.

"Holding my rifle in my hand, keeping my faith in my heart,
I wish two things: The faith and the homeland.
My home is the army, my sovereign is the Sultan:
Strengthen my Sultan, Almighty Give him long life,

Almighty our journey is our victory,
the end is martyrdom.
....
....

— "Asker Duası" [Prayer of the Soldier] by Ziya Gökalp[16].

Prime Ministership, 2002-present

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

On 17 October, 2006, Prime Minister Erdoğan suffered a mild shock in public attributed to hypoglycemia, caused by a combination of intense work and Ramadan fasting.[17] 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.[citation needed]

Domestic policy

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;[18] 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.[19] When this appeal was rejected, Erdoğan said: "The court has no right to speak on this issue. That right belongs to the Ulema".[citation needed]

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.[20]

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.[21] 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.[21]

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 which through this policy Erdoğan was accused 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]

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.[22] 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.[23]

Education and health

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated at a speech to the War Academy that "religious fundamentalism has reached dramatic proportions" and that Islamic fundamentalism "is trying to infiltrate politics, education and the state, it is systematically eroding values". Erdoğan responded to this by arguing, "Religious people also have a right to politics. [...] If you want to keep the faithful out of politics, the people will never forgive you".[24]

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.[20]

Erdoğan does not drink alcohol.[citation needed] This move[dubious – discuss] led to reduced consumption of alcohol and tobacco products in Turkey.[citation needed]

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.[25]

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.[26] These amendments were later overturned by the Constitutional Court of Turkey.

Terrorism and security

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]

Erdoğan was investigated by Turkish prosecutors for allegedly using the word 'Mister' (Sayın) when referring to the convicted former PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in a 2000 interview with SBS Radio.[27] However, in April 2007, the prosecutors decided not to open a case against him, saying they found "no element of criminal offence" in the interview.[28] The PKK is a militant group proscribed as a terrorist organization internationally by a number of states and organizations, including the U.S., NATO, and the EU.[29]

Erdoğan has appointed liberal Muslim theologians to the Department of Religious Affairs.[30] He has promised to crush the country's Islamist militants. Radical Muslim groups are considered a threat to the secular political establishment.[20]

Foreign policy

Israel and the Palestinians

File:Erdogan Walkout.jpg
Erdoğan walks out of the session at the World Economic Forum, vows never to return.[31]

Turkey, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has close diplomatic relations with Israel, and Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party has close relations with Hamas.[31] Erdoğan has taken a strong stance against Israel's role in the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, claiming "Israel’s bombardment of Gaza shows disrespect to the Turkish Republic. ... Whatever the reason is, killing innocent civilians will damage peace in the world".[32] He asked the United Nations to bar Israel from participation as long as it does not respect the body's calls.[33] The relations between Israel and Turkey became slightly strained after the unilateral ceasefires. On 29 January 2009, Erdoğan attended the World Economic Forum which was held in Davos, but an hour later he walked out of the forum in protest. The debate turned politically related to the Gaza conflict, the Israeli President Shimon Peres was heavily criticized by Erdoğan (sitting beside him) over the handling of the war, and said; "You are killing people", before walking out. He also accused the moderator of disrespect by giving extra time for Peres to speak, than himself,[34][35] however the panel had already run over the scheduled time. "We can’t start the debate again, we just don’t have time," Ignatius said.[36] Erdoğan returned to Istanbul the next day, and was greeted with thousands of supporters at the Istanbul Airport with a 'hero's welcome', crowds present shouting "Turkey is with you".[37] His actions were also backed by the main opposition leader Deniz Baykal, but also criticized him for using it as a tool for the local elections.[38]

The European Union

On 3 October, 2005, the negotiations for Turkey's accession to the EU formally started during Erdoğan's tenure as Prime Minister.[39]

Cyprus

In 2004, a re-unification referendum supported by the United Nations was held in Cyprus. It failed after the Greek Cypriots voted to reject the Annan plan, whereas the Turkish Cypriots voted to approve it. During the period building up to the referendum, Erdoğan and his party campaigned for the UN re-unification proposal.[40]

Iraq

Faced with domestic demands to intervene in Iraq against the PKK and in defence of the Turkmens around Kirkuk in the north of the country, Erdoğan pursued a more proactive foreign policy. In January 2007 Erdoğan suggested that Turkey might intervene, but preferred for the interim to rely on diplomacy.[30]

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.[41] 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.[42]

On December 17, 2008, after a petition launched by more 200 leftist Turkish academics and newspaper columnists which apologized for Armenian casualties in 1915, Erdoğan said: I find it unreasonable to apologize when there is no reason.[43]

2007 elections

Presidential election

See also: Republic Protests; Turkish presidential election, 2007; and 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 select a president is a failure of the Turkish political system and proposed to change the constitution.[citation needed] Later in 2007, a referendum to modify the constitution to allow the people, rather than the Parliament, to elect the President, was approved.

General elections

File:S7000218.JPG
Poster from the general elections in 2007.
See also: Turkish general election, 2007

Erdoğan called for early general elections. 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. Erdoğan used the events at "2007 Presidency elections" as a part of the general election campaign of his party. In the night of July 22, it became obvious that AKP had won an important victory over the opposition, garnering over 46 percent of the popular vote. July 22 elections were only the second time in Turkish Republic's 74-year history whereby an incumbent governing party won an election by increasing its share of popular support.

Proposed ban from politics, 2008

Turkish Wikisource has original text related to this article:

On 14 March 2008, Turkey's Chief Prosecutor asked the country's Constitutional Court to ban 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 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.[56]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2007/08/29/son/sonsiy47.asp Template:Tr icon
  2. ^ a b "Behind the Turkish Prime Minister's Outburst at Davos". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  3. ^ Kimlik Değişimi!," Milliyet, December 13 2005 Template:Tr icon
  4. ^ a b c d "Turkey's charismatic pro-Islamic leader," BBC News, 4 November 2002
  5. ^ a b c "Profile: Recep Tayyip Erdogan". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  6. ^ "Life story". AK Parti Official Web Site. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  7. ^ "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  8. ^ "8.1: Freedom of Expression". 1998 Report (PDF). Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. p. 411.
  9. ^ "Erdoğan: Laikliğe Anayasa'daki şekliyle sahip çıkmalıyız". Radikal. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-01-05. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (1998-04-05). "Turkey Secularists Take Their Battle Into Court". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  11. ^ "Turkey bars Islamic leader from poll". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  12. ^ "Erdogan clear to stand in election". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  13. ^ "Erdogan named as Turkish PM". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  14. ^ Barry M. Rubin; Political Parties in Turkey P.68
  15. ^ http://www.eurozine.com/pdf/2003-10-16-senyener-en.pdf [dead link]
  16. ^ Ziya Gökalp (1912) "Ziya Gökalp Kulliyati I," ed. F. A. Tansel, Istanbul: Turk Tarih Kurumu Yayinlari, 1989) [page needed]
  17. ^ "Erdoğan admitted to hospital," Turkish Daily News.
  18. ^ "The Islamic veil across Europe". BBC News. 2006-11-17. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  19. ^ "Leyla Şahin v. Turkey". European Court of Human Rights. 2005-11-10. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
  20. ^ a b c Cakir et al. (2001), published in Hürriyet newspaper (0 July 1998) and compiled by Seda Demiralp.[not specific enough to verify]
  21. ^ a b "Turkish court condemns PM Erdogan," BBC News, 30 May 2007.
  22. ^ Birch, Nick. "Turkish prime minister plays economy card to cool protests," The Guardian, 1 May 2007.
  23. ^ The Report, Turkey. Oxford Business Group. 2007. ISBN 1-90202339-86-X. ISSN 1755-2303. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help) [page needed]
  24. ^ "Erdogan tied to Islamic forces," The Washington Times, 20 April 2006.
  25. ^ "Social security reform finally going to Parliament". Turkish Daily News. 2006-04-12. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  26. ^ "Turkey OKs controversial head scarves ruling". Associated Press. CNN.com. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-02-22. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)
  27. ^ Turkish Prosecutors Investigate Erdogan Reference to Kurdish Leader, Voice of America, 26 March 2007.
  28. ^ Prosecutors Drop Investigation Of Prime Minister, New York Times, 6 April, 2007.
  29. ^ "Council Decision," Council of the European Union. December 21 2005
  30. ^ a b Pressure to Enter Iraq Lessens in Turkey, Forbes. 26 January 2007.
  31. ^ a b Bennhold, Katrin (2009-01-29). "Leaders of Turkey and Israel Clash at Davos Panel". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  32. ^ "TRT.HABER - İsrail Saldırılarına Tepkiler". Trt.net.tr. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  33. ^ "Erdogan: Bar Israel from the UN". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  34. ^ "Turkish PM storms out of Davos' Gaza session, slams moderator". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  35. ^ "Stormy debate in Davos over Gaza". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  36. ^ Erdogan Clashes With Peres, Storms Out of Davos Panel (Update1) Bloomberg
  37. ^ "Turkish PM given hero's welcome". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  38. ^ "Turkey's CHP backs PM in Davos, blames for abusing issue for polls". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  39. ^ "EU enlargement past, present and future". BBC News. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  40. ^ "Analysis: Turkey's Cyprus gamble". BBC News. 2004-04-25. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  41. ^ "Gul in landmark visit to Armenia". BBC News. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  42. ^ "Turkish PM, Armenian president hold useful talks in Davos". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  43. ^ "Turkish PM scorns Armenia apology". BBC News. 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  44. ^ "Secular rally targets Turkish PM," BBC News, April 14 2007.
  45. ^ "Turkey's ruling party announces FM Gul as presidential candidate," Xinhua, April 24 2007.
  46. ^ "Turkey 'must have secular leader'," BBC News, April 24 2007.
  47. ^ "More than one million rally in Turkey for secularism, democracy". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  48. ^ "One million Turks rally against government". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  49. ^ "Manisa ve Çanakkale coştu!". SKYTURK (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  50. ^ "Saylan: Manisa mitingi önemli". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  51. ^ "3 miting tek mesaj". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  52. ^ "Turks protest ahead of early elections". Swissinfo. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  53. ^ "Eine Stadt trägt Rot". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 2007-05-15.
  54. ^ "İzmir'de Cumhuriyet mitingine rekor katılım". NTV-MSNBC (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  55. ^ a b c "Turkish ruling party put on trial". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  56. ^ "Turkey's ruling party escapes ban". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  57. ^ "Turski premijer počasni doktor Univerziteta u Sarajevu". Sarajevo-x. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Template:Incumbent succession box
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Istanbul
1994 – 1998 		Succeeded by
Party political offices

Template:Incumbent succession box


Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recep_Tayyip_Erdoğan&oldid=267919583"