"It is not just us who won, Turkey won." That was the triumphant verdict of Recep Tayyip ErdoganThe president of Turkey. after he won a new term as president of Turkey on Sunday night. 

Thousands celebrated the results on the streets. Thousands of others cowered in their homes, fearful of what the next five years will bring. Welcome to one of the world's most divided nations.

Erdogan scored 52% of the vote, beating his only remaining opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, by four points.¹ The opposition leader called it "the most unfair election in recent years", accusing the incumbentThe person already in a position. of using the state against him.

Many experts agree with him. They warn that Erdogan's time in office has weakened Turkish democracy. By the end of his new term, Turkey could be a full-blown dictatorshipA form of government in which one person possesses all the power without any limits. .

In many ways, they say, Erdogan is similar to other autocratsA leader who is not bound by constitutional norms or checked by other sources of political authority, like a parliament or the judicial system., like Xi JinpingThe president of China, who has concentrated power and removed term limits allowing him to serve for life. and Vladimir PutinRussia's ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West..

Like them, he controls much of the media - up to 90% of it. Like them, he uses state violence to bully his opponents. Like them, he uses state contracts to enrich political allies and buy the loyalty of others.

And like them, he has used rhetoric against LGBT+ people, associating them with western propagandaInformation, which may be biased or misleading, used to promote a certain viewpoint. and casting himself as a defender of family values.

But others say it is ridiculous to call Erdogan a dictator. Dictators win elections by 80 or 90%, if they hold them at all. They ban opposition parties, or turn them into mere puppets.

Erdogan had to go to a second round of voting. He does not control his opposition. There was a real chance he would lose power.

Still others say calling Erdogan a dictator puts us on the wrong track. He belongs to a different, and perhaps more dangerous, breed of leader.

Alongside Erdogan, this includes Narendra ModiThe prime minister of India. He inspires passionate support from many in his country, but his critics regard him as populist, anti-Muslim and authoritarian. of India and Benjamin NetanyahuThe prime minister of Israel. of Israel. Some add Donald Trump and Jair BolsonaroThe right wing Brazilian president from 2019 to 2022. , former president of Brazil.

These leaders do not actually abolish elections and make themselves sole rulers like dictators do. However, they use every tool in their arsenal to rig elections in their favour.

Whereas dictators rule by fear, experts say these leaders keep themselves popular by whipping up ethnic and religious divisions.

In Turkey, Erdogan has fired up the population against the KurdishThe Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to Kurdistan in Western Asia. Kurdish people are minorities in all of the countries they live in. minority. Modi's supporters frequently victimise Muslims. Netanyahu has always campaigned on Israeli anxieties about the PalestinianPalestine is an area of the eastern Mediterranean region, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip and parts of modern Israel. It has been fought over by Arab and Jewish national movements for many years. population.

These leaders often describe people in these groups as terrorists and claim to be the only person who can protect the majority from their violence.

They take control of the courts so that they cannot challenge their agendas. In 2017, Erdogan called a referendum that gave him sweeping powers over the judiciaryThe part of a country's government that is responsible for its legal system, including all the judges in the country's courts.. Netanyahu had tried to dilute the powers of Israel's Supreme CourtThe highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions.. Modi has been accused of manipulating judges.

So if we call Erdogan a dictator, some say, we are underestimating him. He is a new kind of authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. leader - one that perhaps presents a greater threat to democracy.

Yes: Erdogan has given himself unprecedented power. Even when the country is in the middle of an economic crisis, the opposition cannot topple him. He is a dictator in all but name.

No: The Turkish people re-elected Erdogan because they believe in his vision for the country. It is wrong and insulting to suggest they were simply manipulated into voting for him by the media and the state.

Or... Erdogan is not a dictator, but a populist leader who stays in power by whipping up hatred against minorities and foreigners. That could make him more dangerous than a dictator.