Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Continued Leadership in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey’s presidential election after defeating opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a runoff vote on May 28.

With this victory, Erdogan, 69, has effectively extended his power into a third decade. He initially assumed the presidency in 2014, following a tenure as prime minister beginning in 2003.

Background on the Election

Kilicdaroglu represented the party founded a century ago by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey and a staunch secularist. His platform stood in stark contrast to Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted party, which has cultivated a significant conservative base.

Context of the Election

Turkey’s recent election occurred in the wake of a devastating earthquake that struck the southeast on February 6, resulting in over 50,000 fatalities in Turkey and neighboring Syria. Furthermore, the political climate was exacerbated by soaring inflation and a currency crisis that witnessed a nearly 30% drop in the lira’s value against the dollar over the preceding year.