Faces of the News: Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for the past 15 years, extends his rule for another five years and takes on sweeping new powers after winning Turkey’s landmark presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Turkish leader has been accused by critics of adopting increasingly authoritarian tactics, but is loved by supporters for bringing prosperity and stability to a country that lies at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
Erdogan may be facing rough times ahead, however, because analysts predict an economic downturn for Turkey amid rising inflation and its struggling lira currency.
In its May 2018 issue, Time magazine named Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte as among the world’s emerging strongmen.
