Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a Turkish politician born February 26, 1954 in Istanbul. He grew up in the Kasimpasa district, a working-class area of the city. He studied economics at Marmara University in Istanbul and began his political career as mayor of the city 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 2002 Turkish legislative elections, and Erdogan became Prime Minister of Turkey the same year.
During his term, Erdogan implemented significant economic reforms that allowed Turkey to experience rapid growth and become an important player in the region. He also undertook political reforms aimed at strengthening democracy in Türkiye.
However, Erdogan has also been criticized for his attacks on press freedom and human rights. In 2013, protests broke out in the country against his government, and corruption cases were revealed. 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 his 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 positions on social issues, including women’s and minority rights.
