TURKEY - ERDOGAN AND THE END OF DICTATORSHIP AFTER 23 YEARS LOOKS A REALITY

Turkey is once again engulfed in turmoil, with mass protests erupting in March 2025 following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent opposition leader and key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This unrest, the most significant since the 2013 Gezi Park protests, reflects deep-seated discontent with Erdogan’s 23-year rule, marked by authoritarian consolidation and judicial manipulation. Erdogan’s political career, once a remarkable ascent from humble beginnings, appears to be reaching its conclusion. A shrewd, street-savvy leader with only a religious academic background, he lacks a university degree—a fact that, according to the Turkish constitution, should have barred him from the presidency. Yet, through cunning political maneuvers, including taming the historically interventionist military and reshaping the justice system, Erdogan has clung to power. However, the current unrest suggests that his grip may finally be weakening, though he is unlikely to relinquish control without significant pressure, potentially from the military—or external forces like the United States and the European Union.