Recep Tayyip Erdogan Fast Facts

Mother: Tenzile Erdogan

Marriage: Emine (Gulbaran) Erdogan (July 4, 1978-present)

Children: Two daughters and two sons

Education: Marmara University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 1981

Other Facts:
Active in Islamist circles in the 1970s and 1980s.

Before his political career, Erdogan was a semi-professional football (soccer) player.

Erdogan is considered a polarizing figure: supporters say he has improved the Turkish economy, introduced political reform, and has made significant progress in ending the 30 years of guerrilla war with Kurdish separatists.

Critics have accused Erdogan of autocratic tendencies, corruption and extravagance, including the 1,000 room-plus palace he built on publicly protected land.

Erdogan has also been heavily criticized for failing to protect women’s and human rights, curbing freedom of speech and attempting to curb Turkey’s secular identity.

Under Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey has lifted restrictions on public expression of religion, including ending the ban on women wearing Islamic-style headscarves.

Has called social media “the worst menace to society.”

Timeline:
1984 – Elected as a district head of the Welfare Party.

1985 – Elected as the Istanbul Provincial Head of the Welfare Party and becomes a member of the central executive board of the party.

1994-1998 – Mayor of Istanbul.

1998 – The Welfare Party is banned. Erdogan serves four months in prison for inciting religious hatred after reciting a controversial poem.

August 2001 – Co-founds the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

2002-2003 – Erdogan’s AKP wins the majority of seats in parliamentary elections, and he is appointed prime minister.

2003-2014 – Serves as prime minister.

June 2011 – AKP wins by a wide margin in the parliamentary elections, securing a third term for Erdogan.

June 2013 – Anti-government demonstrations target Erdogan’s policies, including his plan to turn a park into a mall, and call for political reforms. Thousands are reported injured in the clashes.

December 2013 – Corruption probe begins which investigates more than 50 suspects, including members of Erdogan’s inner circle. The following month, the government dismisses 350 police officers amid the investigation. Ten months later, the prosecutor drops the inquiry.

March 2014 – After Erdogan threatens to “eradicate” Twitter at a campaign rally, Turkey bans the social media site, and a two-week countrywide blackout ensues.

August 10, 2014 – Erdogan is elected president during the first ever direct elections.

August 28, 2014 – Erdogan’s presidential inauguration. While the presidential role is designed to be a ceremonial one, Erdogan has said he hopes to change the constitution that will see his remit extended.

November 2014 – At a summit hosted by a women’s group in Istanbul, Erdogan says that women and men are not equal “because their nature is different.” It’s not the first time the Turkish leader has made controversial comments about women: he has previously told Turkish university students that they shouldn’t be “picky” when choosing a husband and has called on all Turkish women to have three children.

June 7, 2015 – In Turkey’s parliamentary elections, AKP wins 41% of the vote. This falls short of the majority, disabling Erdogan’s hopes to transfer power from parliament to the presidency.

July 15-16, 2016 – During an attempted coup by a faction of the military, at least 161 people are killed and 1,140 wounded. President Erdogan addresses the nation via FaceTime; speaking to a CNN Turk anchor on her phone so viewers can see it, he urges people to take to the streets to stand up to the military faction behind the uprising. Erdogan blames the coup attempt on cleric and rival Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.