Early life and career of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan 2021 (cropped).jpg Erdoğan in 2021

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born on 26 February 1954 in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey. He is a prominent Turkish politician who has served as the President of Turkey since 2014. Before his presidency, he was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and the Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.

Early Life

Erdoğan was born to a family of modest means. His father, Ahmet Erdoğan, was a Turkish Coast Guard officer, and his mother, Tenzile Erdoğan, was a homemaker. The family moved to Rize on the Black Sea coast when Erdoğan was a child, but they returned to Istanbul when he was 13 years old.

Erdoğan attended the Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School and later enrolled in the Istanbul İmam Hatip School, a religious vocational high school. He graduated from Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in 1981.

Early Career

After completing his education, Erdoğan worked in the private sector and was involved in various business ventures. He also played semi-professional football for local clubs, including Istanbulspor and Erokspor.

Political Beginnings

Erdoğan's political career began in the late 1970s when he joined the National Salvation Party (MSP), led by Necmettin Erbakan. Following the 1980 military coup in Turkey, the MSP was banned, and Erdoğan became involved with the Welfare Party (RP), another Islamist political party founded by Erbakan.

In 1994, Erdoğan was elected as the Mayor of Istanbul, representing the Welfare Party. During his tenure, he implemented several significant infrastructure projects, improved the city's water and waste management systems, and tackled traffic congestion. His success as mayor earned him national recognition.

Imprisonment and Founding of AKP

In 1998, Erdoğan was sentenced to ten months in prison for reciting a poem that was deemed to incite religious hatred. He served four months of his sentence and was subsequently banned from political office.

In 2001, Erdoğan co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with other former members of the Welfare Party. The AKP positioned itself as a moderate, conservative party with a pro-Western stance.

Rise to National Leadership

In the 2002 general elections, the AKP won a landslide victory, and Erdoğan became the de facto leader of Turkey. However, due to his political ban, he could not immediately assume the office of Prime Minister. The ban was lifted in 2003, and Erdoğan was elected to parliament in a by-election, allowing him to become Prime Minister.

As Prime Minister, Erdoğan implemented numerous economic reforms, which led to significant economic growth and stability in Turkey. He also pursued a policy of EU accession and improved relations with neighboring countries.

See Also

• Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
• Prime Minister of Turkey
• President of Turkey
• Istanbul
• Marmara University

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