Erdoğan’s milestones as Turkish presidential vote heads to runoff

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan led comfortably in the first round of Türkiye’s elections Sunday over his opposition rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu but an inch short of an outright majority means the country is likely going back to polls on May 28.

Here are some of the milestones in the career of a politician who has transformed Türkiye over two decades, steering its traditionally secular society towards his unified vision and establishing the country as a regional military and diplomatic power, Daily Sabah reports.

March 1994: Erdoğan is elected Istanbul mayor as part of the Welfare Party, led by conservative politician Necmettin Erbakan.

April 1998: Erdoğan resigns as mayor after a court sentences him to prison for inciting religious discrimination over a poem he recited in 1997 comparing mosques to barracks, minarets to bayonets, and the faithful to an army. He is jailed from March 1999 to July 1999.

August 2001: He establishes the Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, and is elected chairperson.

November 2002: The AK Party wins elections with nearly 35% of votes after the worst economic slump since the 1970s, promising to break with past mismanagement and recessions. Erdoğan is legally barred from serving as prime minister because of his earlier conviction - but that decision is overturned in December.

May 2003: Erdoğan becomes prime minister, beginning a decade of strong economic growth and rising living standards driven by an infrastructure boom and foreign investment. Erdoğan tours Western capitals to promote his policies and advance Türkiye's bid to join the European Union.

October 2007: In a referendum, Turks approve constitutional changes to allow the president – then a largely symbolic role – to be publicly elected.

February 2008: Parliament passes an amendment drafted by the AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) that lifts a ban on wearing headscarves on university campuses.

The following month, the Constitutional Court (AYM) hears a case over the separation of religion and state, and narrowly rules against dismantling the AK Party and banning Erdoğan and dozens of other party members from politics for five years.

September 2010: In another referendum, Turks approve judicial and economic amendments championed by Erdoğan that are meant to align the constitution with EU standards even as Türkiye's EU membership bid stalls over issues including the divided island of Cyprus, where Türkiye launched a military operation in 1974 to protect Turkish Cypriots against ethnic attacks from Greek Cypriots.

May 2013: Protests against Erdoğan's plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park accelerate into nationwide riots exploited by the supporters of the terrorist groups. Erdoğan describes the protests as “an attempt targeting Turkish government and international interests.”

August 2014: Barred by AK Party regulations from running for a fourth consecutive term as prime minister, Erdoğan in August wins Türkiye's first presidential elections and starts calling for a new constitution to enhance the head of the state's powers.

June 2015: In a first, the AK Party falls short of a parliamentary majority in an election. But after parties fail to form a coalition, it regains a majority in November snap polls.

July 2016: Rogue soldiers commandeer tanks and helicopters, attack state buildings and parliament, and kill dozens of people in a coup attempt quashed by an unprecedented public resistance after Erdoğan calls the nation to the streets in historic statements.

Erdoğan narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by putschists who turn out to be supporters of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The coup attempt prompts a state of emergency including widespread arrests of network members in the military, judiciary and the private and public sectors.

August 2016: Erdoğan authorizes a major military offensive into Syria to target terrorists from PKK/YPG and Daesh, marking the first of four cross-border operations.

April 2017: A referendum approves an executive presidential system. Erdoğan had campaigned hard for the changes that would alleviate what he called hindrances in parliamentary democracies and streamline the governance.

June 2018: Erdoğan wins snap presidential elections. The AK Party and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) secure a parliamentary majority.

February 2020: Türkiye and Russia come to the brink of confrontation after dozens of Turkish soldiers are killed in airstrikes in Syria's Idlib region.

Angered by what it sees as a lack of Western support and fearing another wave of Syrian refugees, Ankara says it would no longer stop them from trying to reach Europe, despite a 2016 deal that committed Türkiye to keep migrants on its territory.

December 2020: The United States imposes sanctions on Türkiye and its defence industry over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems, pushing ties to a new low.

2021: Türkiye starts mending strained regional ties including with Armenia, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

July 2022: Turkish mediation, alongside the United Nations, helps secure a deal allowing a resumption of Ukraine's grain exports, five months after Russia's invasion started. Erdoğan's role is crucial thanks to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

February 2023: Türkiye suffers the deadliest earthquake in its modern history with over 50,000 people killed in the southeast. People in the disaster zone complain of a slow response by the authorities, particularly in the first days, prompting criticism of the government. Erdoğan acknowledges the response could have been faster and asks for "people's forgiveness for the shortcomings that occurred in the first days of the quake."

May 2023: Türkiye votes in an election expected to be a tight race between Erdoğan and his main challenger - Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdoğan wins more votes than his rival but falls short of the 50% threshold needed to win in the first round, teeing up a May 28 runoff.