Why are Turkey's politicians growing moustaches?

After an out-of-the-blue military coup, you can't blame Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for being slightly paranoid that everybody's out to unseat him.

Not content with sacking thousands of state employees for alleged links with suspected "coup mastermind" Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan made sure he exerted his power as clearly as possible - by assembling around him an alliance of moustachioed ministers.

In a show of solidarity, a pack of previously clean-shaven politicians have forayed into facial topiary as a sign of their loyalty to the embattled president.

The furry facial furniture came to light after Turkey's intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, emerged into the post-coup spotlight sporting a set of moustachioes.

There had been speculation that the head of the country's secret services would be in the firing line after failing to warn Erdogan of the impending putsch.

But the president's "secret keeper" emerged unscathed, except for the beginnings of a now fully formed moustache.



Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has also endorsed  Erdogan with similarly bushy behaviour.

And Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci appeared at a Turkey investment conference in New York last week with a thick Tom Selleck, one likely to have been cultivated over the summer.



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