What is the AKP thinking for the final 48 hours? Concerns that 'the voter will teach us a lesson'...

Gazete Pencere columnist Nuray Babacan made notable assessments in her column regarding the March 31 Local Elections, which will take place in 2 days. 

Babacan touched upon the poll results on the ruling party's desk with only hours left until the election, and stated that there is an assessment that AKP's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayoral Candidate Murat Kurum is experiencing a problem with 'creating sympathy'. 

Writing that the controversial assets of the People's Alliance's AKP candidate in Ankara, Turgut Altınok, have harmed the party not only in the city but across the country, Babacan used the phrase, "There are AKP members who assess that 'the voter will teach us a lesson'."

The relevant section of Babacan's article titled "The mood of the last 48 hours" is as follows:

"In recent days, you can see that the excitement in the ruling party regarding sharing poll results has faded. Professionals working with the AKP are using the stalling tactic of 'it hasn't been finalized yet'. There are those who interpret this as a loss of morale.

'MURAT KURUM STRUGGLED'

In Istanbul, where the ruling party is exerting all its strength, it is stated that there is a problem with creating sympathy for their candidate, Murat Kurum. The calculation that his ministerial background and experience in earthquake efforts would be an advantage has, on the contrary, turned into him being held responsible for work not done or wrong decisions made during that period.

Although Kurum tried to come to the agenda with 'what he will do', he could not escape his responsibilities regarding infrastructure and earthquakes throughout his 15-year career, which began with his Emlak Konut management in 2009 and continued with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. Despite the support of the entire government, Kurum's momentum in Istanbul did not rise.

'THE TURGUT ALTINOK PROBLEM'

Ankara is another story. The fact that AKP candidate Turgut Altınok had no chance of winning was already accepted within the party from the very first days. However, Altınok's controversial personality harmed the party not only in Ankara but throughout Turkey. The wealth that emerged after Altınok's words 'Property belongs to God' created an image regarding all AKP candidates. In political backrooms, it led to jibes that 'Property does not belong to God, it belongs to the AKP members'.

After this process, the AKP administration's dreams of closing the gap with CHP candidate Mansur Yavaş also fell through. It was stated that in the first polls conducted in the party before the asset controversies, there was a 15-point gap between Yavaş and Altınok, and it was claimed that this gap was reduced to 11 points a few weeks later. AKP members have stopped thinking of anything better than this.

The situation in Anatolian provinces is also the subject of every conversation. The provinces are being examined over and over again. It is accepted that there will be a loss of votes even in Anatolian provinces where the AKP is considered a sure winner. There are those who claim that the loss of votes in Anatolia will pull the AKP's votes to the 30-32 percent band. There are AKP members who assess that 'the voter will teach us a lesson'."