A powerful woman is challenging President Erdogan – could she shape Turkey’s future?

If polling is somewhat accurate, the Iyi (or Good) Party founded by Meral Aksener is quickly becoming one of the most important players in the country ahead of 2023’s elections, writes Borzou Daragahi

Few believe that Aksener and her party will gain enough power to become the dominant force in Turkish politics (CHP)

It was a harsh assessment of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a topic that is near and dear to him, and one upon which he prides himself: international relations.

“He’s always talking about other leaders as ‘my dear friend’ or ‘my beloved fellow leader’,” the opposition political party leader Meral Aksener said to a crowd in Istanbul on Thursday. “In foreign policy, respect is good. In friendship, there can be love. But in foreign policy, the first question he always asks is, ‘Does he love me?’”

Aksener, a 66-year-old former university lecturer, is perhaps the most successful woman in Turkey’s recent political history. If polling is somewhat accurate, the Iyi (or Good) Party she founded is quickly becoming one of the most important players in the country ahead of the 2023 elections that will determine the country’s future.