As Turkey heads to snap presidential and general elections on Sunday, a public opinion survey conducted by the Gezici polling company indicates that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may not win a majority in the first round of votes in the presidential election, while his party and election ally may lose its majority in parliament as well, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Thursday.
According to the poll, which was conducted between June 16 and 17 on 1,812 people in 12 provinces, 34 districts and 92 neighborhoods, Erdoğan garnered 48 percent support in the first round of votes, whereas Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Muharrem İnce had 29.1 percent, İYİ (Good) Party candidate Meral Akşener had 11.4 percent, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtaş had 10 percent, Felicity Party (SP) candidate Temel Karamollaoğlu had 1.2 percent and ultranationalist Homeland Party (VP) candidate Doğu Perinçek had 0.1 percent.
The poll also indicates that support for Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the parliamentary elections may be at 43.6 percent, with the CHP at 26.7 percent; İYİ Party, 10.1 percent; HDP, 12.1 percent; Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), 5.3 percent; SP, 1.8 percent; the others 0.4 percent.
Another public opinion survey conducted by the Mediar polling company between May 22 and 23 on 4,268 people in 26 provinces showed that Erdoğan may have 43.50 percent support in the first round of votes, whereas CHP candidate İnce had 22.20 percent; İYİ Party candidate Akşener, 19.31 percent; HDP candidate Demirtaş, 12.79 percent; SP candidate Karamollaoğlu, 1.61 percent; and VP candidate Perinçek 0.60 percent.