( CNN ) -- He 's perhaps the most powerful and popular politician Turkey has seen in generations . But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may also be the most polarizing . And now , the man who boasts economic and political accomplishments during 10 years in office is fending off complaints from large crowds of protesters that he 's turning into a `` dictator . '' `` The only thing that we want , '' said one of the thousands packed into anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul , `` ... we want him to resign . '' The editorial board of The Washington Post said Erdogan `` is offering unfortunate proof that it is possible to be both elected and authoritarian . '' His accomplishments in office include unprecedented economic growth in Turkey . `` Erdogan has been a key part of that success . He has vision , drive , and his supporters united around him and push for the agenda he is building , '' said Tim Ash , head of emerging markets for Standard Bank . The prime minister has also spearheaded political reforms that brought Turkey more in line with the European Union -- and closer to the West . Despite economic boom , Erdogan targeted by protests . Under Erdogan and his ruling AKP party , Turkey lifted curbs on public expression of religion , including strict limits on women wearing Islamic-style headscarves . And he 's made significant progress in ending the 30 years of guerrilla war with Kurdish separatists . Erdogan is an important ally of the United States and President Barack Obama , and a key political player in efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria . But along the way , critics say , he has steadily accumulated more and more power and shown growing intolerance of dissent . With his term set to end next year , Erdogan has repeatedly announced plans to transform the country 's political system from a prime ministerial form of government to a more powerful presidential system , with himself as head of state . Many journalists say press freedoms in Turkey have declined under his rule . Reporters Without Borders says Turkey `` is currently the world 's biggest prison for journalists , especially those who express views critical of the authorities on the Kurdish issue . '' Erdogan rejects the accusations against him . `` I have nothing to say if they call the person who has committed himself to serving his nation a dictator , '' Erdogan said in a televised address . Opinion : Is Turkey on the verge of a meltdown ? Demonstrators say otherwise . `` He has a big ego ; he has this Napoleon syndrome . He takes himself as a sultan , '' said Yakup Efe Tuncay , a 28-year-old demonstrator who carried a Turkish flag in Gezi Park , ground zero for the protest movement . `` He needs to stop doing that . He 's just a prime minister . '' Others have different complaints about Erdogan . Many secular Turks complain that the Islamist-rooted government is intolerant of criticism and diverse lifestyles , as evidenced by the recent enactment of tight restrictions on the sale of alcohol , Fadi Hakura , manager of the Turkey Project at the London-based think tank Chatham House , said in a CNN.com column . Critics also complain about rapid urbanization and its effects on the environment , an issue that helped spark the initial protests in Gezi Park . Erdogan has made clear he expects to hold on to power . The protests , he says , will not prove to be a `` Turkish Spring , '' a reference to the Arab Spring that brought regime changes in several nations . Staunch supporters continue to stand by him . `` He 's a man 's man , '' said Cengizhan Safi , a resident of Kasimpasa , the Istanbul neighborhood that Erdogan grew up in . `` We love him a lot because he 's a Muslim Turk and because he 's from Kasimpasa . '' Safi added that he and others do n't take the protesters seriously . `` Because they are the minority . We are already the owners of this country . '' Erdogan has said that if he wanted to mobilize his supporters on the streets , he could bring out huge crowds . But many in the region speculate that he 's losing support . As such suggestions have surfaced on social media , Erdogan slammed Twitter for helping people spread `` lies . '' Social media , he said , `` is the worst menace to society . '' While it 's unclear how the protests will affect his future , he 's not new to being the subject of controversy . In a 2011 online poll fueled by Turkish social media sites , more people picked Erdogan to be Time 's Person of the Year than any other candidate . But at the same time , more people voted against the idea than for it . As Time put it , Erdogan was simultaneously the poll 's `` most- and least-favored Person of the Year . '' CNN 's Gul Tuysuz and John Defterios contributed to this report .
Source : PM ##C ##cion Erdogan is ` ` a man 's man , '' and protesters ` ` the minority , '' a reporter says . He is powerful and polarizing . Critics say he has gained more and more power and an intolerance of dissent . His accomplishments include unprecedented economic growth .