Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Biography

(12th President of Turkey)

Birthday: February 26, 1954 (Pisces)

Born In: Kasımpaşa

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the 12th President of Turkey. He formerly served as the Prime Minister of Turkey and was also the Mayor of İstanbul. He is the founder of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and led it to three general election victories. He has an Islamist political background. He is an extremely polarized figure. Supporters say that his government has introduced several liberal economic reforms, improved Turkish economy, lifted restrictions on religious expressions and ended Guerilla war with the Kurdish mass. He was able to curb the political power of military through the ‘Sledgehammer’ and ‘Ergenekon’ court cases. However, his administration has faced criticism for being autocratic, which led to anti-government protests and deaths of protestors. Erdoğan and his allies were linked to a US$100 billion government corruption scandal. Since then Erdoğan's government has attacked social media, press, human rights and even blocked access to Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites several times. He has been accused of maintaining monetary connections with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants when it was revealed that Turkey had been delivering weapons to Syrian military groups.
61
Quick Facts

Also Known As: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdoğan, Recep Tayyip

Age: 70 Years, 70 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Emine Erdoğan

father: Ahmet Erdoğan

mother: Tenzile Erdoğan

children: Ahmet Burak Erdoğan, Esra Erdoğan, Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan, Sümeyye Erdoğan

Presidents Prime Ministers

Founder/Co-Founder: Justice and Development Party, Alliance of Civilizations

More Facts

education: 1981 - Marmara University

  • 1

    What is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's political party?

    Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey.

  • 2

    What positions has Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held in the Turkish government?

    Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has served as the Prime Minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as the President of Turkey since 2014.

  • 3

    What are some major policies or initiatives associated with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership?

    Some major policies associated with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership include economic reforms, infrastructure development, and foreign policy shifts.

  • 4

    Has Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faced any controversies during his time in office?

    Yes, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has faced criticism and controversies related to issues such as freedom of speech, human rights, and political authoritarianism.

  • 5

    What is the current public opinion on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey?

    Public opinion on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey is divided, with supporters praising his leadership and policies, while critics express concerns about democracy and human rights under his rule.

Childhood & Early Life
Erdoğan was born on 26 February 1954 in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood of Istanbul.
His father was a Turkish coast guard in Rize where the family lived till Erdoğan was 13 years old.
He had to sell lemonade and simit on the streets to make extra money.
In 1965, he graduated from Kasımpaşa Piyale primary school. Erdoğan also attended the İmam Hatip School and received his high school diploma from Eyüp High School.
In 1981, he received a Business Administration degree from the Aksaray School of Economics and Commercial Sciences (Marmara University).
His mde his first foray into politics was when he joined the National Turkish Student Union, an anti-communist association.
Continue Reading Below
Career
In 1984, Erdoğan became the Beyoğlu district chair of Islamist Welfare Party. The next year, he became the chair of the Istanbul city branch of the party.
On 27th March 1994, he was elected as the Mayor of Istanbul in the local elections. He won 25.19% of the popular vote.
As a mayor, he ventured to tackle some of the long-drawn problems in Istanbul like traffic disorder, lack of water supply and pollution.
In December 1997, he was convicted of provoking religious hatred after he recited a slightly changed version of a poem by Ziya Gökalp, the pan-Turkish activist in Siirt. He had to serve a prison term from 24 March 1999 to 27 July 1999 and was subsequently banned from political activities.
In 2001, Erdoğan founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and led it to victory in the 2002 election. The party won about two-thirds of the seats. However, he could not seek higher office because he was still banned from politics.
In the new election scheduled on 9 February 2003, Erdoğan’s AKP won the majority of seats again. This time he could take over the seat of the Prime Minister because of a legal change made by the opposition Republican People’s Party.
He took over as the Prime Minister on March 15, 2003 and introduced a few important reforms in Turkey.
On July 22, 2007, he had a triumphant victory in the parliamentary elections when he won 46.6% of the votes and entered his second term as the Prime Minister.
On June 12, 2011, Erdoğan secured a third term as Prime Minister by winning 49 % of the votes, and established the 61st government.
Continue Reading Below
On August 28, 2014, Erdoğan became the 12th president of Turkey. He won the first round of elections with 51.79% of the vote, thereby defeating around 15 opposition parties. This was the first time that a Turkish President was elected directly.
On June 7, 2015, at the Turkey's parliamentary elections, the AKP won 41% of the vote, but fell short of majority, thwarting Erdogan's intention to shift power from parliament to the president.Achievements
Erdoğan's government succeeded in resolving the Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict by allowing the Kurdish language to be used widely and restoring Kurdish names to cities and towns.
On 23 April 2014, Erdoğan's office issued a declaration which acknowledged Turkey’s responsibility in the mass killings of Armenians during World War I and offered condolences.
Erdoğan increased the budget of the Ministry of Education from 7.5 billion lira in 2002 to 34 billion lira in 2011.
His government also increased the quality of healthcare by introducing ‘Green Card’ program that gives health benefits to the poor. Transportation developed furthermore, when high speed railway lines were constructed.
In 2004, he was listed in ‘Time’ magazine's "100 most influential people in the world".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been honored with a number of prestigious awards like olden Plate award from the ‘Academy of Achievement’, Outstanding Service award from ‘Red Crescent’, the Agricola Medal of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, King Faisal International Prize from the ‘King Faisal Foundation’, United Nations–HABITAT award, WHO 2010 World No Tobacco Award, Gold Statue 2012 Special Award’ by the Polish Business Center Club.
He has received honorary doctorates from institutions like St. John's University, University of Sarajevo, Istanbul University, University of Pristina, Moscow State University, University of Algiers and İnönü University.
Personal Life & Legacy
On July 4, 1978, he married Emine Gulbaran with whom he later had two daughters, Esra and Sümeyye; and two sons, Necmettin Bilal and Ahmet Burak.
Erdoğan is a member of the Community of İskenderpaşa, a Turkish Sufi community of Naqshbandi tariqah.
Facts About Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is known for his love of sports, particularly football. He used to play semi-professional football in his youth and remains a devoted fan of his favorite team, Istanbul's Fenerbahçe.

Erdoğan has a talent for poetry and has published several collections of his own poems. He has been known to recite poetry at public events and is passionate about Turkish literature.

Erdoğan is an avid reader and is known to have a wide range of interests in literature, history, and philosophy. He has been spotted visiting book fairs and cultural events to expand his knowledge.

In addition to his political career, Erdoğan is also a talented public speaker with a knack for connecting with his audience. He is known for his charismatic presence and ability to inspire and motivate people with his speeches.

Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/recep-tayyip-erdoan-6867.php

People Also Viewed

Dan Coats Biography
Dan Coats
(American)
 
Budd Dwyer Biography
Budd Dwyer
(American)
 
George H. W. Bush Biography
George H. W. Bush
(American)
 
Sergey Lavrov Biography
Sergey Lavrov
(Russian)
 
Deb Haaland Biography
Deb Haaland
(American)
 
John Howard Biography
John Howard
(Australian)
 
Newt Gingrich Biography
Newt Gingrich
(American)