Riot police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators during an anti-government protest at Taksim square in central Istanbul June 1, 2013 (Photo: Reuters)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing one of the biggest challenges of his decade in power with anti-government protests that critics say have exposed growing discontent with his increasingly authoritarian and conservative agenda.
Here are the key events since Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in the predominantly Muslim but staunchly secular country:
- 2002: The AKP scores its first electoral victory, sweeping 34% of the votes after years of political instability and an unprecedented financial crisis that wrecked the country.
- 2004: The AKP, encouraged by its goal of starting accession negotiations with the European Union, launches a range of democratic reforms.
The party attempts to submit a controversial amendment on banning adultery but it backs down on its proposal which has outraged opposition parties and women's groups.
- 2005: Accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU formally begin.
- 2007: In spring, a political crisis erupts surrounding the election of a new president after the AKP announces that Abdullah Gul, then foreign minister, is its candidate. The army reacts to Gul's candidacy citing concerns over secularism, triggering early elections.
In summer, Turkey holds snap parliamentary polls where the AKP increases its vote share to 46.7%. Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again retains the post of prime minister.
A month later, Erdogan's comrade Gul is elected president by the parliament. For the first time in the history of the republic, Turkey has a first lady wearing an Islamic headscarf.
In the following years, the AKP increased its resistance to the military, the self-appointed guardians of the secular state which carried out four coups over half a century.
- 2008: The AKP initiates a constitutional amendment to lift the ban on the Islamic headscarf at universities. Deemed anti-secular, the amendment is negated by the constitutional court which sought a political ban on the AKP. The party narrowly escaped a dissolution by court order. The ban on headscarves was finally eased in 2011.
- 2009: Media tycoon Aydin Dogan, who owns Turkey's largest media conglomerate, the Dogan Group, faces a record $3.9 billion in tax fines, sparking s debate over government pressure on critical mainstream media.
- 2011: In June, the AKP wins its third consecutive victory in parliamentary elections, grabbing almost 50% of the vote. Erdogan begins his third term as prime minister. He is expected to run for the presidency in 2014, but in an empowered version of that office which the AKP is working on introducing through constitutional reform.
- 2012: An October report of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists labels Turkey "the leading jailer of journalists worldwide," identifying 76 journalists put behind bars -- 61 of them purely because of journalism.
In September, more than 300 army officers are sentenced to lengthy prison terms in a landmark trial into an alleged scheme to oust the AKP government.
In May, Erdogan provokes outrage among women's groups and opposition parties when he likens abortion to murder.
- 2013: In April, an Istanbul court orders a retrial for world-renowned pianist Fazil Say who was earlier convicted of blasphemy over social media posts. Say has accused the government of being behind the case.
In May, Turkey's parliament passes a contentious law that would restrict the sale and advertising of alcohol, a move which has fuelled anti-government sentiment.
Days later, a group of people demonstrate against government plans to redevelop Istanbul's iconic Taksim square. The action snowballs into one of the largest anti-government protests in recent years and sparks violent skirmishes between protesters and police.
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