Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes office today as Turkey’s executive president with vastly expanded powers as more than 18,600 people are purged from government jobs.
Erdogan will take his oath in the Turkish parliament, followed by a lavish ceremony at his nearby palace in Ankara. His inauguration officially ushers in a new executive presidency, which replaces a parliamentary system in which the prime minister and government held most power, reports Reuters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The dismissed state employees include 9,000 police personnel and more than 6,000 officers from the country’s armed services. Three newspapers, one TV channel and 12 associations have also been shut down, amid claims that they posed a security risk to the state, reports Bloomberg.
The government has been issuing decrees, bypassing parliament, since a state of emergency was imposed in the wake of an attempted military coup in July 2016. Erdogan promised to lift the state of emergency rule following last month’s election, in which he was re-elected with 53% of the vote.
However, his new powers enable him to “issue decrees with the force of law” and he “can still declare a similar state of emergency giving authorities powers to restrict basic rights and freedoms when deemed necessary”, says Bloomberg.
“The recent purge is a further consolidation of the grip on power that Erdogan has been working on particularly since the attempted coup,” said Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based political risk consultants Cornerstone Global Associates. “The purge is surprising in its magnitude and many will accuse Erdogan of going after anyone who opposes him.”
The government says that the sacked civil servants are followers of US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of masterminding the coup. He denies the charge.
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Crossword: October 26, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
