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Turkey's pervasive president may be wearing out his welcome

"Erdoganmania" is evolving into Erdogan fatigue as he exhausts people with his constant interference in their lives.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the attempted coup in front of the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX3BN1M

Celebrities sometimes suffer the consequences of overexposure, when their audiences turn away, tired of seeing them everywhere. Turkey's ubiquitous president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appears to be feeling the effects of something similar: Erdogan fatigue.

Erdogan watches public opinion polls closely. His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) routinely employs polling agencies to check the pulse of the nation, particularly those who identify with the party: That's one of the reasons why Erdogan has been able to claim and supposedly sustain his popularity. These polls are usually just for party insiders' eyes. However, in mid-July, Nuray Babacan from the daily newspaper Hurriyet reported that the results of two polls conducted after the April 16 constitutional referendum were leaked to the press.

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