Last week’s inauguration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president of Turkey is the start of an extraordinary new chapter in the charismatic politician’s career. He has been prime minister since 2003 and in his 11 years in office he succeeded in getting the army out of politics and has also won repeated popular mandates for his policies as the Turkish economy flourished.
Erdogan is now seeking to recast the presidency into the fully executive role that it enjoyed under the founder of the Turkish republic, Kamal Ataturk, when he was president from 1923 to 1938. A formal constitutional change may be beyond Erdogan’s ability with only 52 per cent of the parliament, but he has said that he is ready to revive the dormant powers of the presidency, such as calling and presiding over cabinet meetings.
The danger facing Erdogan is that he may overreach himself. More than a decade at the pinnacle of authority has made him more autocratic, as was made plain by his mishandling of the anti-government protests in 2013, and the public anger over the Soma mining disaster in May this year that left 300 people dead. In the background, he has to contend with the long-running allegations of corruption. But despite these issues, Erdogan has continued to win majorities as his divisive policies attract deep loyalty from many, even as they repel others. It remains to be seen if he can continue this dangerous balancing act.
