ANKARA (TIP): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is scheduled to take the oath of office and start his third presidential term on June 3 following his latest election win. Erdogan, who has led Turkiye as prime minister or president for 20 years, prevailed in a runoff race last weekend despite the country’s ongoing economic crisis and his government’s criticised response to a February earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.
Known as “reis” or “the chief” among his fans, the 69-year-old Erdogan already is the longest-serving leader in the Turkish republic’s history.
His reelection to a five-year term that runs until 2028 extends his rule into a third decade, and he could possibly serve longer with the help of a friendly parliament.
Here is a look at Erdogan’s career and some of the reasons for his political longevity.
It’s not the economy
Many experts agree that Turkiye’s severe economic woes result from Erdogan’s unorthodox fiscal policies – most notably, depressing interest rates against rampant inflation despite the warnings of economists.
However, the majority of voters – he received 52 per cent of the runoff vote – did not seem to hold it against him.
Erdogan’s endurance amid the cost-of-living crisis – inflation in Turkiye hit a staggering 85 per cent in October before easing to 44 per cent in April – might have resulted from many people preferring stability over change as they struggle to pay skyrocketing prices for rent and basic goods.
The president has demonstrated an ability to turn the economy around in the past.
And he has never shied away from spending and deploying government resources to his political advantage.
Over the past two decades, his government has spent lavishly on infrastructure to please constituents.
In the period leading up to last month’s parliamentary and presidential elections, he increased wages and pensions to cushion the blow from inflation and disbursed electricity and gas subsidies.
One point of pride for many voters is Turkiye’s ballooning military-industrial sector.
Throughout the campaign, Erdogan frequently cited domestically made drones, aircraft and a warship touted as the world’s first “drone carrier”.
On the world stage
Erdogan has swayed many Turks to his side with the way he navigates the world stage.
Supporters see in him a leader who has shown that Turkiye can be a major player in geopolitics while displaying an independent streak as it engages with the East and West.
Turkiye is a key NATO member because of its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it controls the alliance’s second-largest army. (AP)