Posts Tagged: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan’s woes get kicked up a notch

May 15, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe.

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A photo shows government advisor Yusuf Yerkel kicking a protester at a mine safety demonstration Wednesday.

Turkish opposition, Kurds challenge election results

April 7, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe.

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Local residents cast their vote for mayoral elections in the ballot boxes at Sait Ciftci School in the Sisli district of Istanbul, during the first round of the local elections on March 30, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey.

If Erdogan can maintain that level of broad popular support despite his political blunders and much maligned authoritarian tendencies, there is little chance Turkey’s opposition can present a serious challenger in next year’s presidential race.

Turkey-Israel deal no panacea for Erdogan

March 25, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe, Middle East.

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upporters of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a rally at Tempodrom hall on February 4, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Adam Berry/Getty Images

But what should be an easy political victory for Erdogan risks being submerged in the lead up to the local elections, which are viewed by many analysts as a preview of the presidential race this summer.

Chavez dynamic emerging for Turkey’s Erdogan

February 26, 2024 by Matt Taylor in Europe, Middle East.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speak to the media following talks at the German federal Chancellery on February 4, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)

All legal and other challenges to his stature (and power) are dismissed as nefarious plots by treasonous elements who cannot be trusted.

Turkish Kurds slam Erdogan’s reform plan

October 1, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe.

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A Kurd celebrates on March 21, 2024 Nowruz, the Persian New Year festival, with a flag bearing a portrait of jailed Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan in the southern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)has some leverage here, thanks to a strengthened pan-Kurdish network.

Erdogan reforms reveal strategy before elections

September 30, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media during a press conference in Ankara on September 30, 2013.

But with his new block of reforms, Erdogan’s looks to have achieved a one-two punch.

As protests roil Turkey, Erdogan banks on conservative base

September 12, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Europe.

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The Turkish leader has learned his lesson: in the face of spirited urban protests, the best move is to rely on one’s rural support base.

Erdogan against the ropes with stalled Kurdish peace

September 9, 2024 by Lara Vergnaud in Middle East.

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Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

The prime minister’s hope for an expansion of presidential powers relies on support from Kurdish legislators – an unlikely prospect if Ankara doesn’t bend.

Is debt the new tool of coercion for autocrats?

August 15, 2024 by Matt Taylor in Europe, Middle East.

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First Turkish P.M. Erdogan threatened protesters’ student loans, and now Syrian President Assad is forgiving debt payments for his soldiers to boost morale.