What keeps Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power? | Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) holds the record for the longest-running party in the nation’s democratic history in the run-up to the June 24 snap elections.

His 16-year rule is unparalleled in Turkey, which held its first multi-party elections in 1946. During this time, the party became synonymous with its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and overtook him as prime minister and president. The term of office of the founder of the countries, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The AK Party came to power in the 2002 general elections, winning the country’s first parliamentary majority in 11 years. The victory was seen as the result of a public reaction to the economic mismanagement of previous coalition administrations.

The beginning of the ascent

Since coming to power, the party has endured many crises, not just a failed military coup tryWhile monitoring significant changes in Turkish society in July 2016.

He now faces the challenge of winning the November 2019 parliamentary and presidential elections amid the economic downturn, turmoil in Syria and deteriorating relations with allies such as the United States.

Lisel Hintz, an associate professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., said the conditions for the party’s initial rise helped it consolidate its power in later years.

Voters suffering from the devastating economic crisis of 2001 demonstrated that they were tired of unstable coalitions, corruption, and economic governance, unable to help any of the parties in the previous ruling coalition. [electoral] threshold, he said.

The charismatic leader of the AK Parties and his roots in political Islam have also played a role in creating a sustainable support base, previously targeted by secular forces in the military and judiciary.

Hintz drew attention to the combination of material benefits, such as impressive economic growth and huge construction projects, and the rhetorical strategy that portrays Erdogan as a man of the people, though not sustainable.

If Erdogan wins the presidential election, Turkey’s parliamentary system will be replaced by a presidential model that will keep him in power for at least another five years. Surveys show he is the leader, but he will not be able to get more than 50 percent of the ballots needed to escape the second round.

Ertugrul Gunay, who served as Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2007 to 2013, described two different stages in the AK Party’s rule, the first of which created the conditions for election victories.

According to Gunay, before 2012, the party took a path that led to increased welfare and improved social services, especially health and housing services.

As part of its efforts to join the EU, the AK Party government has reformed the justice system, human rights and the role of the military to meet European requirements.

It has also begun to improve infrastructure within the country and attract foreign investment.

While Erdogan has sought to address the rights of Kurds and non-Muslims in minorities through initiatives such as the opening of the Kurds, in the foreign policy arena, the government has supported the UN’s plan to reunite Cyprus, which has been divided into ethnic Turkish and Greek institutions since 1974.

According to Gunay, these steps can be included in the list of successes of the AK Party, which helped to get votes.

Although many people did not support Turkey before 2002 because they were ill, they supported the AK Party.

Barış Ünlü, former professor of political sciences at Ankara University

The greatest achievements

Yashar Yakis, a career diplomat who served as the AK Party’s first foreign minister, described the first reforms as his greatest achievement, noting that former EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugens had contributed more in 2004 than the reforms that characterized the changes. [Turkey] has been obtained in the last 80 years.

These successes show that Turkey achieved an average growth rate of 7.5 percent between 2002 and 2011, with falling inflation and interest rates increasing domestic consumption.

Hintz said that the AK Party effectively uses foreign policy as an arena to compete with its rivals and advance the interests of its supporters through its political and economic initiatives within the EU membership program, and that the parties are benefiting businessmen in central Anatolia.

Barış Ünlü, a former professor of political science at Ankara University, was among those who saw the AK Party’s victory in 2002 as a chance to break away from the past.

I was hopeful, he said. I supported the Kurdish opening, the Armenian opening. Old Turkey was bad in many ways. It was corrupt, the Istanbul bourgeoisie and army were dominant.

However, he said he was disappointed with Erdogan’s administration, which was among hundreds of scholars fired in January 2016 for signing a letter calling for peace for the majority of Kurds in southeastern Turkey.

Although many people did not support Turkey before 2002 because they were ill, they supported the AK Party. People supported things like the Kurdish opening, but it was a big disappointment.

Former Foreign Minister Yakis pointed to Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian civil war as a turning point, demanding the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and a landslide victory in the 2011 general election.

The government has moved away from its democratic goals [and] He said he was moving towards autocracy, totalitarianism, full control over the media and state mechanisms.

The factor that determines Erdogan

Although many critics point to this step towards autocracy, one of the factors determining the parties’ election success is perhaps Erdogan’s superiority over the AK Party and his strong personality.

The 64-year-old president is of conservative religious descent and grew up in a hard-working district of Istanbul that attracts a large section of Turkish society.

His role as mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s saw him carry out many reforms that benefited residents, such as tackling environmental pollution, traffic congestion and water shortages. A short spell in prison strengthened his image as a rival to the secular old guard because he recited a poem containing Islamic descriptions.

Hintz said Erdogan has earned a reputation as the mayor of the Islamist Welfare Party in Istanbul and has established his reputation not only as a religious figure with a strong political position, but also as a materialist who will motivate voters more than high promises.

He added: Erdogan’s charisma, his ability to appeal to those who feel he was a victim of previous secular regimes, and his ability to build flip-flops on issues because victories are so important, but it doesn’t work well for anyone.

As the election approaches, it remains to be seen whether the AK Parties’ economic success in the early years and Erdogan’s personal appeal will be enough to reassure voters.