Erdogan's government

According to opinion polls, Imamoglu would beat Erdogan, whose popularity has suffered as a result of a series of political and international crises, and mostly due to the grave economic crisis.

He is cautious about his own prospects. "The opposition parties will work very selectively to decide the best presidential candidate," Imamoglu said.

Athens' uncharacteristically public and sharp criticism this week of a fellow member - Spain, in this case - following a high-profile defense deal whereby Madrid will sell Turkey a new aircraft carrier, and possibly a submarine, generated an immediate reaction.

While the Turkish opposition has been using public unhappiness over rising numbers of refugees from Afghanistan and other countries to challenge President Erdogan's government, xenophobic violence has also been increasing.

Illustration: Pixabay/Stevepb

The report, entitled 'Disabled Web 2020: Fahrenheit 5651, The Corrosive Effect of Censorship', says that more than 467,000 websites have been banned in Turkey since 2006, with 58,809 website bans in 2020.

Photo Illustration: Shutterbug75/Pixabay

"It is obvious that there is a need to regulate media organisations which operate with funds from foreign state and institutions," Altun told Turkey's state-owned Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

He added that the government will not allow any fifth-column activity under new guises.

Five years after a group in the military tried to overthrow President Erdogan's government, democracy and rule of law are in decline - as is the economy - while the young flee the country.

Bogazici University students hold placards and shout slogans against the government during a demonstration against their new rector, Melih Bulu, in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU

A tanker passes through the Bosporus in Istanbul. Photo: Pixabay/Sinasi Müldür

The international convention, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has suggested it might quit, governs the use of the Turkish Straits - the Dardanelles and Bosporus, strategic waterways that connect the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Turkish riot police use plastic bullets as they secure the area around Bogazici University in Istanbul during a protest against the new government-appointed rector, February 2, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU

Of that number, 76 have been released after interrogation and another 10 put under house arrest. Police interrogation of the others continues.

Turkish riot police stand guard in front of Bogazici University during a demonstration against its new rector, January 6, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/TOLGA BOZOGLU

The new legislation follows large student protests this week over the appointment of a new rector at Bogazici University in Istanbul who is member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.