KONDA Research General Manager's assessment of 'undecided voters': 'We have never encountered anything like this'

As survey results regarding the Local Administration General Elections to be held on March 31 continue to arrive, a comment on voters has come from KONDA Research General Manager Aydın Erdem. Stating that the number of undecided voters has increased, Erdem said, "We have never encountered anything like this in any election."

"AKP VOTERS ARE NOT SATISFIED"

Stating that the primary agenda of the voter is the economy, Erdem said, "AKP voters are not satisfied with the economic management. They have not seen the relief they expected. The discomfort felt regarding inflation increases is at quite high levels."

Erdem added, “Opposition voters are fed up due to the debates that took place after the election failure. Those who voted for Erdoğan have also become undecided because the economy is not doing well.”

"EXPECTATION OF ECONOMIC CRISIS IS ALSO INCREASING AMONG AKP SUPPORTERS"

Responding to questions from Şeriban Kıraç of Cumhuriyet, Erdem said, “As part of our research, we ask: Do you expect an economic crisis in the next three months, or economic difficulties in your own life? The expectation of an economic crisis among AKP supporters is 40 percent, while the expectation among CHP supporters is 80 percent. If the expectation of an economic crisis is increasing, it is increasing among both AKP and CHP supporters. That is why Erdoğan acted with other components. People's economic situation cannot easily break the emotional bond Erdoğan has with his voters,” he stated.

"ONE OUT OF EVERY TWO PEOPLE WAS UNDECIDED"

Emphasizing that there has been an increase in undecided voters since the 2023 General Elections, Erdem spoke as follows:

"We have seen a mass of people who do not state a party preference, more than we have ever measured before. We ask them, if the ballot box were in front of you today, who would you vote for? One out of every two people we asked was undecided. We have never encountered anything like this in any election. That state of indecision, that state of staying away from politics, has also been reflected in the numbers. The person who used to sit down and talk about everything in politics, dissecting it, now says after the last elections, 'I can't deal with them anymore.' People's relationship with politics has weakened significantly."

"OPPOSITION VOTERS ARE FED UP"

"Opposition voters are fed up due to the failure experienced in the election and the debates that took place after the election. Those who voted for Erdoğan and the AKP have also turned to indecision because the economic management is not good. They did not see the return on their votes in the economy. There is no economic improvement yet. The citizen is not yet satisfied with the situation. The discomfort felt regarding inflation increases is at quite high levels."

ISTANBUL ASSESSMENT

Making an assessment of Istanbul, Erdem noted the following:

"Ekrem Bey positions himself independently of the parties. This is a good strategy. Ekrem İmamoğlu creates an effect on opposition voters, and by following a strategy separate from the debates between opposition parties, he can attract undecided voters in his own aquarium to his side."

"ERDOĞAN'S FORTRESS IS HOUSEWIVES"

"As for the undecided voters on the side of the ruling power, economic vulnerabilities are high; they might seem a bit more like they won't go to the polls, but one needs to look at what kind of card Erdoğan will play in the final week when he takes the stage and speaks. He might come up with a project regarding urban transformation. 92 percent of people in Istanbul say, 'I cannot renovate my house without the state's support.' This is a very key point. Erdoğan can use this. Erdoğan's fortress is housewives..."

"UNDECIDED VOTERS DO NOT EASILY GIVE UP ON THEIR PARTY"

"For example, an undecided housewife's husband's earnings are currently not enough for household expenses. When inflation rose while she was sending her child to a private school, she sent her child to a public school. We go to her door and ask who she will vote for; she says, 'I am undecided.' But when you put the ballot box in front of her, she will still vote for Erdoğan, for example. Undecided voters do not easily give up on their party."