Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for the past 15 years, was set on June 25 to extend his rule with sweeping new powers after winning landmark presidential and parliamentary elections.
Turkey’s High Electoral Board declared Erdogan, 64, the winner of June 24’s polls, which usher in a new executive presidential system that was approved in a referendum last year. Under the system, the office of the prime minister is eliminated and executive powers are transferred to the president, who can rule with only limited checks and balances.
