Erdoğan’s epic political journey

One shall give credit where credit is due: Turkey’s President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has proven he could deliver most of his promises after having entered politics as a full-time assignment back in 1994, when he was elected mayor of the country’s largest city, Istanbul.

Yet, what made his charisma and sheer force of personality throughout the country was an unfortunate incident. He left mayoral office in March 1999 after four-and-a-half years in order to serve four months in jail, as he was convicted of inciting committing a crime and inciting religious or racial hatred because of a poem he read during rally in Siirt in 1997.

Erdoğan’s political life has always been an epic journey. He made a flamboyant return in March 2003 after winning a vacant seat in Siirt in a by-election because he was still banned when his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power for the first time in November 2002.

Assertive and reformist

As a pragmatic leader, one of the first announcements Erdoğan made at the Prime Ministry office was a pledge to comply with the IMF-led economic program in a bid to inject assurance to world markets and pursue political reforms for the democratization of Turkey with the aim to draw “a credible partner” to the West, particularly to the United States and the European Union.

Such a stance played a significant role in paving the way for beginning negotiations for Turkey’s full membership to the EU in 2005, marking a milestone in the country’s long march toward integration with Europe. High growth rates, reduced inflation and increase in trade volume were key constituents of Erdoğan’s success story in this period.

Also along this period, he had...