Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s family members and lawyers as well as members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) established a foundation in İstanbul named for the president just days after he won a runoff that will extend his 20-year rule until 2028, the state-run TRT Haber reported.
An announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Directorate General of Foundations regarding the establishment of the foundation was published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday.
Among the founders of the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Foundation are the president’s children Bilal Erdoğan, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar and Esra Albayrak; his lawyers Ahmet Özel and Hüseyin Aydın; AKP Vice Chairman Vedat Demiröz; Esenler Mayor Mehmet Tevfik Göksu; and Nuri Aksu, the project manager of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.
According to the announcement, the objectives of the foundation include establishing in İstanbul a “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Museum,” where the personal belongings of the president and the gifts he received during his time in office will be exhibited, in addition to a “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Library” to “enhance the education and cultural level of society.”
The foundation, with an asset value of TL 120,000 ($5,797), also aims to organize scientific, cultural and artistic programs along with exhibitions.
İsmail Arı, a journalist from the Birgün daily, tweeted that Erdoğan is one of the rare people who has given his name to universities, hospitals and a museum while he was still alive.
Bilal Erdoğan, Tefvik Göksu ve Sümeyye Erdoğan gibi isimler Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Vakfı kurdu. Bu vakıf ile Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Müzesi kuracaklarmış.
Ölmeden adını üniversitelere, hastanelere verip müze kurduran nadir insanlardan. Ayrıca bu vakıf, Bilal'in 10. vakfı falan oldu pic.twitter.com/v5xdNsSDck
— İsmail Arı (@ismailari_) May 30, 2023
Contrary to the prevailing perception that Erdoğan was losing popularity due to skyrocketing inflation and a cost-of-living crisis in Turkey as well as the government’s poor response to two powerful earthquakes that hit the country in February, he secured yet another term in office, receiving 52.1 percent of the nationwide vote, while his main rival, opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, got 47.8 percent, according to the preliminary results.