Early life and career of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Name	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Birth name
Birth date	Birth date -1st March 1966
Birth place	Istanbul, Turkey
Death date
Death place
Alma mater
Occupation	Politician
Years active
Organization
Known for	President of Turkey
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born on February 26, 1954, in the Kasımpaşa neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey. He is a prominent Turkish politician who has served as the President of Turkey since 2014. Prior to his presidency, Erdoğan was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and the Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. His early life and career were marked by his involvement in politics and his rise through the ranks of Turkish political life.

Early Life

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born into a working-class family. His father, Ahmet Erdoğan, was a Turkish Coast Guard officer, and his mother, Tenzile Erdoğan, was a homemaker. Erdoğan spent part of his childhood in the coastal city of Rize, where his family originated. He returned to Istanbul at the age of 13.

Erdoğan attended the Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School and later enrolled in the İmam Hatip School, a type of religious vocational high school in Turkey. He graduated from İmam Hatip in 1973. During his school years, Erdoğan was known for his interest in football (soccer), and he played semi-professionally for a local club.

Education

After completing his high school education, Erdoğan attended the Marmara University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, where he studied business administration. He graduated in 1981. His education at Marmara University provided him with a foundation in economics and management, which would later influence his political career.

Early Political Career

Erdoğan's political career began in the late 1970s when he joined the National Salvation Party (NSP), led by Necmettin Erbakan. The NSP was an Islamist political party that played a significant role in Turkish politics during that period. Erdoğan quickly became an active member of the party's youth wing.

Following the military coup in 1980, the NSP was banned, and Erdoğan, like many other politicians, was temporarily sidelined. However, he returned to politics in the 1980s with the formation of the Welfare Party (WP), another Islamist party led by Erbakan. Erdoğan's charisma and organizational skills helped him rise through the party ranks.

Mayor of Istanbul

In 1994, Erdoğan was elected as the Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, representing the Welfare Party. His tenure as mayor was marked by significant improvements in the city's infrastructure, including the development of new roads, water distribution systems, and public transportation. Erdoğan's administration was credited with reducing the city's chronic traffic congestion and pollution problems.

As mayor, Erdoğan gained a reputation for being a pragmatic and effective leader. He focused on practical solutions to urban problems and was known for his hands-on approach to governance. His success in Istanbul laid the groundwork for his future political career on the national stage.

Political Challenges and Rise to National Leadership

In 1998, Erdoğan was sentenced to a prison term for reciting a poem that was deemed to incite religious hatred. This conviction led to his removal from office as mayor. However, his imprisonment only increased his popularity among his supporters.

After his release, Erdoğan co-founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001. The AKP positioned itself as a moderate, conservative party with a focus on economic development and democratic reforms. Under Erdoğan's leadership, the AKP won a landslide victory in the 2002 general elections, and Erdoğan became Prime Minister in 2003 after a legal amendment allowed him to hold office.

Also see

• Justice and Development Party
• Politics of Turkey
• Necmettin Erbakan
• Marmara University
• Istanbul