The Turkish Marine Le Pen

Meral Akşener relishes the idea that she frightens Turkey’s most powerful man.


With a smirk, she lists headlines from pro-government newspapers painting her as a dangerous conspirator plotting against the state — a sure sign that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is worried about her. 

“See here, Akşener’s relationship with Fethullah Gülen’s terrorist organisation,” trumpeted Sabah, trying to link her with Erdoğan’s archenemy Gülen, who has been accused of creating a “parallel state” to overthrow the government. The Islamist-leaning newspaper Yeni Akit followed suit, wondering: “Who uses whom? Is Akşener using the parallel state, or is the parallel state using Akşener?”

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