Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Short bio of presidential candidate in Turkey elections

ANKARA

Erdoğan entered politics by joining the right-wing National Turkish Student Union during the late 1970s. In 1976, he was elected for youth branch of the Islamist National Salvation Party (MSP) in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district and was subsequently promoted to chair of the Istanbul youth branch of the party.

After the military coup in 1980, Erdoğan returned to politics in 1983 with the newly formed Welfare Party. He became the party’s Beyoğlu district chair in 1984 and in the following year he was elected chair of the Istanbul city branch.

In the 1994 local elections Erdoğan was elected mayor of Istanbul. After the Welfare Party was shut down by the state, Erdoğan joined its successor but parted ways as leader of an intra-party change movement against the older cadre. Later, in Aug. 14, 2001, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was established by Erdoğan and his colleagues.

Erdoğan became the party leader and won the elections of 2002 and Justice and Development Party (AKP) received 34.3 percent of the national vote and formed the new government. In March 15, 2003 he became prime minister and was in the post for 11 years, winning elections in 2007 and 2011.

Erdoğan was elected president on Aug. 10, 2014 with 51.79 percent of the vote.

He is married and has four children.