Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's pugnacious president

From humble beginnings Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown into a political giant, reshaping Turkey more than any leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered father of the modern republic.

The referendum "Yes" vote gives him the green light to create a muscular presidency, with powers to personally appoint or dismiss ministers, select judges and rule by decree if he deems it necessary.

"For the first time in the history of the republic, we are changing our ruling system through civil politics," he told flag-waving supporters on 16 April.

It was a veiled reminder of the 15 July coup attempt, when his grip on power was seriously challenged by military officers.

An all-powerful presidency, he argues, is a guarantee that the political instability that used to plague Turkey will not return.

In 1960 and three more times in later decades the Turkish army intervened in politics, seeing itself as the guarantor of Ataturk's secular republic.

Its shadowy nationalist influence behind the scenes came to be known as "the deep state".

President Erdogan's powerful AK Party (AKP), rooted in conservative Islam, has shown a fierce determination to clip the military's wings. AKP stands for Justice and Development Party.