TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

IFJ-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALIST Turkish President Erdoğan is preparing his youngest son, Bilal, to succeed him. Türkiye's authoritarian leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has begun making the necessary preparations to prepare his son for his succession to power due to his increasing health problems. These preparations have laid the groundwork for the establishment of a family dynasty, fueled by the dismantling of Türkiye's democratic institutions, a weak and fragmented opposition, and the accumulation of a vast family fortune estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The family's 42-year-old younger son, Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan, is perhaps the most influential figure in Turkey's administration, despite not holding any public office. An ideological fanatic, Bilal Erdoğan operates from the shadows. He is supported and abetted by his father's oppressive and unaccountable regime and a vast network of cronies strategically placed in key government positions. Signs of such a possibility were already evident in the key appointments President Erdoğan made following the May elections and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle. While it is unclear whether Erdoğan is considering a voluntary retirement from politics, his deteriorating health, including cancer treatment, recurring epileptic seizures, and occasional memory lapses, may necessitate a smooth succession plan in the event of any future threats to his leadership. His younger son, Bilal, is considered Türkiye's undeclared crown prince, and the president appears to trust him to ensure a smooth succession in the event of his death and to protect the family from potential legal issues. The vision of an Ottoman-inspired Erdoğan dynasty suggests a desire for long-term rule, where the family views its 82 million citizens as its subjects and the entire country's assets as its own. Raised in Istanbul at the Kartal Imam Hatip School and educated in the United States as a youth, Bilal is considered the most trusted member of the family and adheres to the ideology of political Islam. He maintains close ties to various religious sects and circles that support his father's rule and political agenda. Bilal also plays a key role in coordinating communications with influential clerics and facilitating interactions with global religious networks, including the Muslim Brotherhood. He even worked with Yasin al-Qadi, a onetime al-Qaeda financier appointed by both the UN and the US Treasury Department at the time, receiving millions of dollars from him and establishing a front company in his name in Türkiye. In the 2013 corruption investigations, both Qadi and Bilal were named by prosecutors as suspects of violating numerous Turkish laws. His father's unlawful interference in the investigation saved him from serious criminal charges and, most certainly, a prison sentence for breaking the law. Bilal clearly has ambitions to follow in his father's footsteps and perpetuate anti-Western rhetoric within the country. There are concerns that he may attempt to realize his family's vision of transforming Türkiye into a caliphate, where both family influence and religious indoctrination play central roles in governance and society. Such a trajectory raises concerns about the future direction of Türkiye's political landscape and its relations with the international community. President Erdoğan tasked Bilal with filling key government positions, and he appears to be using various prominent foundations, such as the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), as revolving doors to fill government jobs, particularly at entry-level and mid-level levels. TÜGVA's core ideology is based on political Islam, sometimes associated with elements bordering on violent jihadism. The foundation organizes summer camps attended by radical clerics and offers scholarships and courses on various subjects to prepare young ideologists for government positions. These actions have raised concerns about the potential impact on the country's governance and the influence of political Islam within it. Bilal also serves as the director of the Turkish Youth and Education Foundation (TÜRGEV), a wealthy organization that receives significant donations from both domestic and international sources. The foundation educates more than 32,000 students in schools and dormitories spread across Turkey. It also owns Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul. Referrals from these foundations guarantee government job placement and rapid promotion. These practices have raised concerns about the potential for nepotism and favoritism in government appointments and promotions, further solidifying the Erdoğan family's influence in Türkiye's political landscape. The foundations have faced allegations that they are being used as a cover.