Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trailing behind his primary opponent, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who leads the centre-left CHP party and the centrist multiparty Millet İttifakı electoral alliance, polls published two months ahead of the 14 May presidential elections show.
Kılıçdaroğlu is currently leading with approximately 56% of the vote, while Erdoğan is trailing with only 44%, the Europe Elects polling average has found.
Should this trend continue, Kılıçdaroğlu would emerge victorious and replace Erdoğan who in 2017 increased the presidential term from four years to five.
At the party level, Kılıçdaroğlu‘s Millet İttifakı is also leading with around 44%, while the Cumhur alliance, led by Erdoğan’s own right-wing AKP, is rated at about 38%.
Meanwhile, the Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı alliance led by the HDP party, which is centre-left and left-wing, is polling at around 11-12%.
Despite these promising poll numbers for the opposition, there are concerns about Turkey’s democratic record and whether Erdoğan will be willing to give up power if defeated.
His administration has faced accusations of eroding democratic norms in recent years, with critics claiming that he has been consolidating power and cracking down on political opposition.
As the election draws nearer, many in Turkey and worldwide will be watching closely to see how the results unfold and what implications they may have for the future of democracy in the country.
Source: euractiv.com
