Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he visited a mosque in Istanbul on April 17. This comes a day after he won a referendum that will grant him new sweeping powers.
Erdogan, a populist, has held his title since 2003 with no real rival, just as Turkey emerged as one of the fastest-growing industrial powers in both Europe and the Middle East.
The constitutional changes could keep him in power until 2029 or beyond.
Erdogan said he would call a referendum to restore the death penalty. He also aims to end Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the European Union, which had driven years of economic and political reforms.
