An Erdogan dynasty … Is Erdogan preparing his son for his succession?

Mohammed Ismael

It seems that the current mandate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not be like any other. In addition to the many problems currently occupying him, especially on the economic level, he is now looking for someone to succeed him in running the country. There was the rumor that his son Najm al-Din Bilal may be the next president of Turkey, continuing the path of his father, who will be at the end of the current mandate after running the country for about a quarter of a century.

Bilal is described as the close son of Erdogan and the confidant of his secrets; his name became quite popular in 2013 when major corruption scandals were revealed. This revelation took place due to leaked audio recordings of a conversation from Erdogan to Bilal inviting him to move to a house for them and to transfer an amount of 30 million dollars. In fact, prosecutors had initiated an unprecedented investigation campaign that had precipitated Erdogan, who back then used to be the country’s prime minister, to dismiss many of his close men and ministers.

Thinking of Bilal

Investigative journalist Abdullah Bozkurt conducted an analysis that was published on the „Nordic Monitor“ website where he stated that Erdogan is currently concerned due to his increasing health issues. Thus, he commenced to groom his son, Najm al-Din Bilal Erdogan to potentially succeed him, stating that the Turkish president seeks to establish a family dynasty while dismantling democratic institutions, amid a weak opposition and the accumulation of the Erdogan family’s lavish wealth, estimated to amount up to hundreds of billions of dollars.

Bozkurt further stated that Bilal – in spite of currently not occupying any public office – is still considered to be the most influential persons in Turkish politics as he is operating in the shadow, while being supported by his father’s repressive reign as well as an extensive network of confidants in key government positions. He also notes that Erdogan’s recent major appointments and cabinet changes bear signs of paving the way for a potential family dynasty, indicating Erdogan and his family’s desire a for long-term rule.

Between corruption and terrorism

The investigative analysis further mentions that Najm Al-Din Bilal Erdogan – who was brought up in a religious school and subsequently studied in the United States – is an ideologically narrow-minded person regarding what is known as „political Islam“. He allegedly maintains close ties to religious sects and networks that support his father’s rule and political agenda.

The investigative reports further emphasizes a very dangerous point, as it says that Bilal worked with the terrorist al-Qaeda organization and that he was one of the suspects in extensive corruption investigations. He in fact, was only acquitted from the charges due to an intervention of his father, in reference to Bilal’s involvement in the major corruption case and other issues, along with the relationship with some terrorist groups supported by “Ankara” in Syria.

Pursuant to the same report, Bilal Erdogan – who is seen internationally as Turkey’s undeclared crown prince – plays an important role in recruitment for key government positions through institutions such as TÜGVA, relying on the relationship with currents of political Islam which raises concerns about the influence of the ideology within the administration, as well as the TÜRGEV Foundation, also overseen by Bilal. He also faced allegations of corruption and was at the center of a corruption investigation in 2013 that Erdogan intervened in order to be closed on his son’s behalf.

The Nordic Monitor analysis claims that Erdoğan has taken measures to alienate influential figures within the AKP and to pave the way for his son’s possible succession within the party, hence, strengthening the influence of the Erdogan family in Turkish politics. The report then explains that the recent appointments in Turkey such as Ibrahim Kalin as head of the National Intelligence Service would support the potential succession of Bilal.

The analysis also states that the wealth of the Erdogan family, acquired by illegal means, is managed by Bilal, and that this matter is justified among religious circles as necessary to support global jihadist movements and Islamic regimes, to which the Turkish president provides great support in several regions, led by Syria, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and others.

Erdogan wants his son as president

In this context, Jawdat Kamel, a Turkish political analyst, says that Erdogan was working to preserve the reputation of his son Bilal among the Turkish people by removing him from any official position until now, meaning that Bilal was neither a member of Parliament nor a minister and did not hold any official position that bears responsibility for him.

Kamel further added in statements to the Target Media Platform that Bilal, therefore, was not affected to some extent by the failed policies of the Justice and Development Party over more than 20 years, except that he was famous for phone recordings with his father when he was Prime Minister, and this call was recorded by Turkish security men on December 17, 2013, as Erdogan was directing his son to get the money out of his house in Istanbul for the fear of being raided by the police.

The Turkish political analyst however, believes that, in light of the suspicions of corruption related to Bilal Erdogan, he will not assume the presidency of Turkey as the phone recordings of him with his father are still accessible and present in the minds of the Turkish people. Hence, Erdogan wants his son to become his successor, but at the same time, he follows the Turkish public opinion, and the latter is not in favor of Bilal, expressing his belief that for this reason he will not reach the position of President.

Allegations of corruption that do not cease

Suspicions of corruption besieging Najm al-Din Bilal are so numerous that some opponents said that he manages all the “dirty work” of the Turkish regime. Last June, the anti-corruption authorities in Sweden and the United States began examining a complaint alleging that a Swedish company belonging to an American company had pledged to pay millions of dollars as a bribe to Erdogan’s son, in return for helping the enterprise to monopolize their products in the Turkish market.

Last year, the Russian authorities said that they had information and evidence confirming that Bilal Erdogan was associated with a network operating on the Turkish-Syrian border in order to smuggle Syrian oil in cooperation with the terrorist organization “ISIS”. It is not the first time that Erdogan or his son have been accused of trading in Syrian oil and obtaining it from terrorist organizations with little money in exchange for weapons provided to them by “Ankara” and other means of logistical support for those organizations.

In May, last year, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party, revealed corruption files related to the Erdogan family, accusing them of transferring funds estimated at one billion dollars to an institution based in the United States of America, as the Turkish opposition leader confirmed that Bilal Erdogan was the one who transferred that money, while his sister Israa Albayrak received it in the United States.

Kılıçdaroğlu also confirmed that he would continue to expose the money laundering taking place in the country, knowing that Israa took part in the famous call that was leaked in 2013 regarding a money transfer at Erdogan’s house before the arrival of the police and investigators, as part of the case that was known in the media as the “major corruption scandal“.

Also, in 2016, the Italian authorities investigated a case related to money laundering related to Bilal Erdogan as he was accused of bringing money to Turkey in secret, i.e. through illegal means. The Turkish regime usually denies these accusations, but its repetition internally and externally confirms that something is wrong, as it is said, “There is no smoke without fire.”

A successor from the Erdogan family

The issue of Erdogan’s succession after winning the May elections was the subject of discussion by Salim Kuro, a fellow in the Eurasia Program of the American Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, who talked about the possibility that a member of the Turkish president’s family could be his successor. He indeed says that Erdogan is not very fortunate in this path, explaining that he worked to hide his eldest son, Burak, from the public from an early age, and this may be due to problems related to his mental health.

As for without Erdogan, Kuro says that he heads non-governmental organizations; It is true that it they are strongly linked to the family, but it is not enough to make him play a major leadership role. Also, Erdogan’s eldest son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, had worked as Minister of Energy and Finance, and his strength grew during his tenure until he was forced to step down in a dramatic way. He thus, retained great institutional power, but he is no longer able to be in the spotlight.

Selim Koru also talks about Erdogan’s younger son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar, who is an accomplished developer of military technology, but has never been exposed to the heat of day-to-day politics. Kuru says Erdogan will not live forever, and his successor is likely to succeed if he comes from outside the circle of the current cabinet as well as his family.