Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is running for the third consecutive term in the May elections, has completed 20 years in power. The 69-year-old, who served as prime minister and then president, was initially known as a reformist. The country was granted more rights and freedoms as the Muslim-majority country began its membership negotiations with the European Union.
However, following amending the constitution and changing the country to presidential power, he took the reins of government and hardened his stance. It has been criticized for suppressing dissent, cracking down on the media and taking anti-democratic measures. Therefore, the third round of presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on May 14 will be challenging for Erdogan.
The re-election is being held amid economic crises and high inflation. The fact that the election comes three months directly following a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people might also be a setback. On March 27, 1994, Erdogan stepped into power politics as the mayor of Istanbul on the ticket of the Islamic Welfare Party. In 1997, Erdogan was sentenced to four months in prison for inciting hatred by reading a poem.
In 2001, he left the Welfare Party and formed the Justice and Development Party (AKP). AKP won a parliamentary majority in the general elections held a year later. However, due to his conviction, Erdogan was barred from contesting. After the lifting of the political ban, Erdogan was elected to parliament in the 2003 by-elections.
