President will now eliminate any opposition

President Erdogan is very likely to use the failed coup to accelerate the process of transforming Turkey’s parliamentary system into a centralised and powerful executive presidency.

He is a combative and uncompromising character who does not tolerate any challenge to his authority or rules.

He is proud to have won the presidency with more than 50 per cent of the popular vote. But, for him, democracy is about winning elections rather than a culture of consensus-seeking and compromise.

He will purge the military of his opponents to further restrict the political environment in Turkey. Many soldiers who have been arrested will be court-martialed and given life sentences.

The dismissal of judges is not a surprise. The president has been making wholesale changes to the judiciary to install loyalists who will endorse his policies and to cement his rule and

He’s installed loyalists to endorse his policies and cement his rule

eliminate any sources of challenge to his authority.

I doubt that there will be any further attempted coup against him.

This coup was unexpected but its failure shows that his government is now the supreme authority in Turkey.

He has a dedicated support base of around 40 per cent of the electorate and another 10 per cent who vote for him for reasons of political stability and economic security.

Many of his supporters share his socially conservative views, such as on education, alcohol consumption and women.

He has repeatedly urged women to have at least three children and to prioritise the home over careers. He has also denounced Caesarean births and abortion.

The West doesn’t necessarily back him but it has to deal with him because he is the legitimately-elected president and because of Turkey’s geo-strategic location bordering Iraq, Iran and Syria.

His co-operation is absolutely critical for the launch of US-led air strikes against Islamic State militants in northern Syria.