Striking poll results: Which candidate stands out if Erdoğan does not run?

The results of a survey conducted by the SONAR Research company with 3,202 people in 26 provinces have been shared with the public. According to the survey, if President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan does not run again, the name voters most want to see is Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan.

On the CHP side, the difference between Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş regarding the presidential candidacy is quite small. According to the results, İmamoğlu appears to be ahead of Yavaş in the eyes of the public by a margin of less than 1 percent.

On the other hand, the survey revealed that potential statements by PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan cause discomfort among the vast majority of the public. Furthermore, it is understood that the lawsuits filed against İmamoğlu are perceived by a large portion of the public as "political pressure."

Sözcü columnist Uğur Dündar reported on the survey in his column today titled 'Striking warnings to the government from the latest public opinion poll...':

“QUESTION-1: Does it bother you that Abdullah Öcalan would play an important role in this process with a statement he would make as part of the efforts to have the PKK lay down its arms?” While the rate of those who said “Yes, it bothers me” to this question reached 62.5 percent, those who answered “No, it does not bother me” remained at 25.4 percent.

“QUESTION-2: Do you think it was right or wrong for 5 lieutenants and 3 officers to be dismissed/expelled from the army due to their activities at the graduation ceremony?” While the rate of those who said “It was wrong” represented a high rate of 61.2 percent, the rate of those who said “It was right” was only 20.5 percent.

“QUESTION-3: Do you approve of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statements regarding the terrorist organization laying down its arms?” While the rate of those who said “Yes, I approve” reached 52.6 percent, the rate of those who said “No, I do not approve” remained at 32.2 percent.

Remarkable answers were given to the question: “QUESTION-4: Do you approve of the detention of journalists and the arrest of Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş due to the broadcast on Halk TV?” Specifically, while the rate of those who said “No, I do not approve” rose to 57.3 percent, the rate of those who said “Yes, I approve” was 22.5 percent.

“QUESTION-5: Do you think the investigations and lawsuits filed against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu are perceived by society as the administration of justice, or as political pressure?” While the rate of those who said “It is perceived as political pressure” to this question reached 62.3 percent, the rate of those who said “It is perceived as the administration of justice” could not exceed 24.2 percent.

“QUESTION-6,7: Considering recent developments and actions, who is the most successful minister?” The answer “Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan” was given at a rate of 22.7 percent. He was followed by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, respectively. Those who said “None of them” reached a large rate of 36.4 percent.

Hakan Fidan was also the name that received the highest vote with 35.4 percent in response to the question, “If Recep Tayyip Erdoğan does not run in the upcoming presidential elections, who should be the People's Alliance’s presidential candidate?”

“QUESTION-8: If Özgür Özel does not run in the upcoming presidential elections, which of the following names, or a name you have in mind, should be the CHP’s presidential candidate?” While 31.1 percent of the participants said Ekrem İmamoğlu, the rate of those who said Mansur Yavaş reached 30.4 percent.