Erdogan: Turkey's tenacious and controversial PM

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party narrowly ducked closure Wednesday, is a charismatic, tenacious leader who rose from a poor Istanbul district to become prime minister by way of four-month stint in jail for Islamist sedition.

Once a religious firebrand who as mayor of Istanbul banned alcohol at municipal cafes and urged Turks to chose between Islam and secularism, Erdogan evolved into an advocate of democracy and won popularity as the man who can best understand the economic problems of the masses.

The 54-year-old politician established the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001, with the support of the moderate members of a banned Islamist movement, and the party won its first elections the following year.

He initiated the far-reaching reforms that ensured the start of Turkey's EU accession talks in 2005 and convinced many that he had disowned his Islamist past.

But following the AKP's re-election in July 2007, Erdogan came under fire for turning again to Islamist policies, ignoring calls for reconciliation with the secularist opposition and showing little tolerance to criticism.

Hardline secularists see in him a wolf in a sheep's clothing who capitalises on popular frustration with past economic failures and uses the democratic system to advance hidden ambitions for an Islamist regime.

For the urban elite, he remains the rough-hewn man from Kasimpasa, a tough working-class neighbourhood in Istanbul, who sticks to conservative prejudices, lacks political finesse and knows more about football than foreign affairs.

But for the rural and poor urban masses, he is one of their own: the son of a sea captain, Erdogan grew up selling sweets in the streets to support his studies in a Koranic school.

A practising Muslim, whose wife and daughters wear the Islamic headscarf, he does not drink alcohol and frequents the mosque.

As the former partner in a food company, the once poor Erdogan has become a millionaire, wearing tailored suits and expensive watches and holidaying at luxury resorts.

But he still keeps close to the people, living in a modest Ankara neighbourhood instead of the palatial official residence, and often visiting shanty towns, distributing toys and sweets to children.

A charismatic if unpredictable man with a colourful vocabulary, Erdogan has been criticised for his often belligerent attitude towards political opponents and the media.

He once scolded a journalist for "stinking of alcohol" to fend off a pointed question. On another occasion, he drew the ire of protestors denouncing the death of conscripts at the hands of Kurdish rebels by saying that "military service is not where you lie down and relax."

But his tough attitude has earned him applause as well.

Last year, when the army accused the AKP of tolerating Islamist extremism, the government responded equally strongly by calling the generals to order. It was an unprecedented stand in a country where the military has toppled four governments since 1960.

Erdogan became prime minister in March 2003, four months after the AKP came to power and amended laws that had kept him on the sidelines of politics since 1997.

Erdogan's career had nosedived that year after he recited a poem with strong Islamist messages at a political rally. That had earned him a four-month jail term for religious sedition and a political ban.

Erdogan joined the ranks of political Islam during his university years in a movement led by Necmettin Erbakan, who later became Turkey's first Islamist prime minister.

Elected mayor of Istanbul in 1994, Erdogan won popularity with improved communal services that brought some relief to the chaotic city.

But in 1997, the army forced Erbakan to resign and his Welfare Party was banned.

Welfare's successor met the same fate in 2001, prompting Erdogan and his "modernist" followers to rethink their vision of state and religion.

After he was released from jail, Erdogan disowned political Islam and endorsed Turkey's traditionally pro-Western, secular stance, but continues to advocate broader religious rights.