AKP concerned in 2 provinces: CHP takes the lead due to YRP influence

Political parties continue their work without pause with 27 days remaining until the local elections. 

Within the AKP, internal assessments indicate that “while the CHP is behind the AKP in Hatay and Antalya, it is seen to be in the lead in Bursa and Balıkesir.” 

AKP'S BURSA AND BALIKESİR CONCERN 

According to a report by Selda Güneysu from Cumhuriyet; AKP sources explain that the main reasons for “the CHP currently being in the lead in Bursa are the YRP nominating Sedat Yalçın, who served as the AKP provincial chairman for 5 years, and that Yalçın's candidacy is splitting the AKP's votes.” It is noted that in the 2019 local elections in Bursa, the current mayor Alinur Aktaş, who was the AKP's candidate at the time, won the election against Mustafa Bozbey, whom the CHP had also announced as its candidate back then, by a margin of only 2.59 percent of the vote.

Recalling that the CHP supported the IYI Party's candidate İsmail Ok in Balıkesir in 2019, it is pointed out that the candidate nominated in Balıkesir for this election, former CHP Deputy Chairman Ahmet Akın, is “a strong local figure, and it is observed that IYI Party voters in the province are also shifting toward the CHP.” 

ANKARA EFFECT

Within the AKP, it is also stated that the vote gap between the current mayor Mansur Yavaş and the People's Alliance candidate Turgut Altınok has “partially closed since the date the candidates were announced, but the gap remains high.” It is also noted that in Istanbul, “although the election appears close, Ekrem İmamoğlu is seen to be one or two points ahead.” 

It is pointed out that the CHP is “seen to be behind the AKP” in Hatay and Antalya. 

VOTES SPLIT IN ŞANLIURFA

In Hatay, which was heavily damaged by the earthquakes, it is stated that “the public is reacting against the CHP candidate Lütfü Savaş,” while in Antalya, it is claimed that the People's Alliance candidate Hakan Tütüncü is “influential in the preferences of Antalya residents due to his actions during his tenure as Mayor of Kepez.” 

It is also noted that “the CHP's candidates are seen to be in the lead for now” in Adana and Mersin. In Şanlıurfa, it is assessed that the YRP candidate Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar is splitting the AKP's votes, making the election “risky.” 

News Source: 12punto