A recent referendum victory gave Mr. Erdogan the power to rule by decree from 2019 onward, provided that he wins presidential elections held in that year. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Mr. Erdogan left the party in 2014 to run for the presidency, an office that was then meant to be politically neutral; last month’s referendum removed that requirement, allowing Mr. Erdogan to rejoin his party. In a visit to Washington on Tuesday, Mr. Erdogan failed to persuade President Trump to abandon an alliance with a group of Syrian Kurdish fighters whom Turkey regards as terrorists. Later in the day, Mr. Erdogan watched silently as his bodyguards assaulted several people protesting his policies.

Source: New York Times May 21, 2017 15:45 UTC