The switching of elected members of parliament and mayors to another political party during their term of office is being debated in Turkey.
Ank-Ar's August 2026 "Voter Agenda" survey measured the voter approach to this issue.
Participants were asked the question, "Do you find it appropriate for an elected member of parliament or mayor to switch to another political party?"
According to the survey, 76.5 percent of voters answered, "No, I do not find it appropriate."
The rate of those who find it appropriate for an elected politician to change parties was measured at 16.9 percent.
While 2.5 percent of participants stated they were undecided, 4.1 percent answered, "I have no opinion/no answer."
Thus, the rate of those who do not find changing parties appropriate was approximately 4.5 times higher than the rate of those who support this practice.
One of the striking results of the research was that the objection to changing parties reached high rates among different voter groups as well.
In the research, the rates of those who do not find changing parties appropriate were listed as follows for the relevant voter groups in the table:
CHP: 81.4 percent
AKP: 58.6 percent
YENİ Party: 91.7 percent
DEM Party: 90.0 percent
MHP: 60.7 percent
İYİ Party: 90.8 percent
Anahtar Party: 65.9 percent
Yeniden Refah Party: 83.3 percent
Zafer Party: 79.3 percent
TİP: 95.3 percent
Other: 70.3 percent
Protest vote: 75.9 percent
The attitude toward changing parties also drew attention in the research regarding ruling party and People's Alliance voters.
58.6 percent of AKP voters said they did not find it appropriate for an elected member of parliament or mayor to switch to another party. In the same voter group, the rate of those who found the transitions appropriate was measured at 31.7 percent.
Among MHP voters, the rate of those opposing party switching was 60.7 percent, while the rate of those who found it appropriate was 31.4 percent.
A clear objection to party switching is also seen among CHP voters.
While 81.4 percent of CHP voters stated they did not find it appropriate for an elected politician to switch to another party, 18.6 percent found it appropriate.
Among DEM Party voters, the rate of those who found it appropriate was measured at 5.3 percent.
Among Zafer Party voters, the rate of those opposing party changes was 79.3 percent, while the rate of those who found it appropriate was 5.2 percent.
Among TİP voters, the rate of those who found it appropriate remained at the 4.8 percent level.
News Source: 12punto
