Reuters: Erdogan's long-term rule exposes risks of strongman leadership

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is facing mounting challenges as he clings to power, shining a spotlight on the risks associated with long-term strongman rule, an analysis by Reuters said on Monday.

Amidst a global landscape where leaders like China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have also held onto power for extended periods, the perils of their prolonged tenure become evident.

Erdogan's situation is under scrutiny due to his efforts to consolidate power and controversial policies, while internal dissent within his own party and international backlash against his aggressive foreign policy choices add further complexities to his leadership, according to the analysis signed by Hugo Dixon, the previous editor of Financial Times’ Lex column and the founder of breakingviews.com, which was later acquired by Reuters.

In an article titled “Strongmen are riskier the more they stay in power,” Dixon said that Erdogan initially continued the orthodox policies that had brought Turkey back from a financial crisis, when he first took power.

It was only later that he adopted the unorthodox approach of keeping interest rates low while inflation was soaring. The lira lost more than 90% of its value versus the dollar during his second decade - and the stock market has halved in dollar terms.

“Even so, his rule seems set to continue after he gained a commanding lead in the first round of elections earlier this month. Erdogan has temporarily propped up the lira in the run-up to the votes. But once these are over, a further slide in the currency seems likely,” the article said.