In the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, only one man can dispute his visual omnipresence with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On giant billboards, in official buildings or advertisements, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk appears everywhere in this centenary year of the Republic of Turkey. But the “father of the nation” now has a rival in the history books.
In number of years, the reign of Erdogan already exceeds that of Atatürk. In twenty years, the kid from Istanbul, who sold rolls on the banks of the Bosphorus, shaped the country by hand: Islamization of society, economic disruption, bringing the press and the opposition into line… Without forget an unparalleled regional influence, which highlights the role of tightrope walker played by Erdogan in the war in Ukraine, halfway between Kiev and Moscow. It is moreover in the palace of Dolmabahçe, on the shores of the Bosphorus, that the first negotiations were held between the two camps in March 2022. A place where all the clocks are stopped at 9:05 a.m., the precise time of the death of Atatürk, who died in a first-floor bedroom on November 10, 1938.
But the current president wants to go much further, replacing Mustafa Kemal in the hearts of the Turks. Every day, he pushes back the memory of the secular, modern and pro-Western Turkey built by Atatürk a hundred years ago. “Erdogan is the anti-Atatürk, slice Ardavan Amir-Aslani, author of Turkey, new caliphate? (Editions l’Archipel, 2023). Turkey is once again becoming a historic power, finding legitimacy and glory in the past, with its eyes fixed on the East.”
Mustafa Kemal, much more than a leader
Despite his grip on Turkey and the – real – changes brought to his society, it remains unlikely that Erdogan will ever be able to overcome the Atatürk myth. In the minds of the Turks, Mustafa Kemal is much more than a man, a head of state or even an outstanding leader. Its existence has been marked by struggles for independence, military victories and the turmoil of “great” history. Erdogan’s star pales in comparison, despite his conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque (in 2020) or his resistance to a coup attempt in July 2016, which he has since tried to erect into a myth of modern Turkey with a lot of museums and annual ceremonies.
Failing to achieve his glory, Erdogan copies the autocratic habits of Atatürk, concentrating the posts of president, prime minister, majority leader, armies and justice… But the king must still suffer the fate of the ballot box. His destiny is played out during the tight presidential election of May 14. His faithful Minister of the Interior is already anticipating a challenge to the results, brandishing the threat of a “coup from the West”…
A dark omen for the fragile Turkish democracy, which could well see its history rocking. And add a new chapter to Erdogan’s merciless rule.