Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a Turkish politician born on February 26, 1954 in Istanbul. He grew up in the Kasimpasa neighborhood, a popular area of the city. He studied economics at Marmara University in Istanbul and began his political career as the mayor of Istanbul in 1994.
Erdogan was a member of the Virtue Party, a conservative Islamist party, before co-founding the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001. The party won the Turkish legislative elections in 2002, and Erdogan became the Prime Minister of Turkey the same year.
During his tenure, Erdogan implemented important economic reforms that contributed to Turkey’s rapid growth and emergence as a key player in the region. He also undertook political reforms aimed at strengthening democracy in Turkey.
However, Erdogan has also faced criticism for his crackdown on press freedom and human rights. In 2013, protests erupted in the country against his government, and corruption scandals were uncovered. In 2014, Erdogan was elected President of Turkey. Since then, he has continued to consolidate his power and has been criticized for his authoritarian methods and repression of political opposition.
Erdogan is married to Emine Erdogan and has four children. He is a devout Muslim and has been criticized for his conservative views on social issues, particularly women’s rights and minority rights.
