Turkey’s Erdogan begins new term with purge of 18,600 civil servants

Controversial leader acquires more power under new executive presidential system

Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(Image credit: ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

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.

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