The President Who Betrayed Business
Erdogan targets corporations and the media as he fights to keep a grip on power.
Erdogan
Photographer: Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
It’s easy to forget that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was once the darling of foreign investors and civil rights activists. They and the European Union cheered ahead of each election victory his party chalked up since coming to power in 2002. But not this time.
On Nov. 1, Turkey will hold the snap election Erdogan called after his ruling Justice and Development, or AK, party failed to secure a majority in June’s parliamentary contest. Rather than allow a coalition that would hinder his plans to consolidate the power he wields from the 3 million-square-foot presidential palace he built last year, he opted for a retry.