Photo Gallery Erdogan Losing His Grip
Last week's funeral for Berkin Elvan, the Turkish teenager who died following a long coma after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister during last summer's protests, triggered more unrest. Two people died in the clashes between police and protesters.
The recent clashes serve to underline the difficulties facing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as local elections approach. Corruption scandals and an ongoing battle with the religious Gülen movement aren't helping.
Last week's protests do not likely represent a redux of last summer's Gezi protests, though hundreds of thousands took to the street in several cities across the country.
Erdogan remains popular in rural areas and in up-and-coming industrial cities. But after 12 years at the helm, the prime minister's power appears to be waning. Here, a rally for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Malatya at the beginning of the month.
Erdogan is ahead in the polls, with elections, set for March 30, less than two weeks away. But should he lose a large city such as Istanbul or Ankara, party infighting could be the result. Here, an AKP rally on Sunday in Izmir.
Berkin Elvan, the teenager who died recently, has become a rallying cry for Turkey's opposition.
Much of Erdogan's support comes from places like Bursa, which has benefited tremendously from Turkey's recent economic boom. But the Turkish economy is now weakening and many economists warn that the country's real estate bubble may soon burst.
Thousands of people marching for Berkin Elvan last week in Istanbul. Erdogan has callously referred to the demonstrators as nut cases and even called Elvan a terrorist at a campaign appearance.
Elvan's parents say that the 15-year-old had only gone out to buy bread last June when police fired a tear gas canister at him. There has been no investigation into the incident.
Fireworks thrown by protesters at Turkish riot police explode at a demonstration in Istanbul on March 11. Erdogan's former minister for EU affairs, Egemen Bagis, referred to those taking part in mourning marches for Berkin Elvan as "necrophiliacs."
