10 Worst Dictators In Power Today
4. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey)
Turkey had long been considered a fair and free democracy before Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took power as the nation's President in 2014. Since his election, the nation has been the subject of democratic backsliding and it is no longer considered to be a fully fledged democracy by political science experts in the West.
Several serious issues surrounding Erdoğan and his party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), have arisen including the military's power has been curbed following an attempted coup in 2014, numerous political purges have seen thousands imprisoned across the country, political opponents have been jailed, press freedoms have been curtailed, and his executive powers have been expanded reducing his accountability.
Erdoğan's government has been accused of various human rights violations, which appear designed to keep him in power more than anything. Between 2016 and 2017, more journalists were incarcerated than in any other country on the planet, which suggests he doesn't want free and fair reporting of his actions.
In 2018, he was re-elected in a general election few people consider to be free, fair, or valid. The ongoing crisis in Turkey appears to be worsening with no indication it may improve anytime soon.