Some have thought Mr Erdogan an aspiring dictator ever since the 1990s, when as an Islamist he campaigned against Turkey’s secularism. He once called democracy a tram you get off when you reach your stop.

A media workers union says Turkish authorities detained several journalists from their homes amid escalating protests triggered by the imprisonment of a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Opponents say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan manipulates the courts and the media to tighten his grip on power, and now is trying to prevent a top contender from running for president.

The head of Turkey’s largest opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in prison on Tuesday, after his detention sparked a week of protests.