Opinion poll shows Turkey’s CHP as leading party for first time in years

The AKP lost significant support due to its stance on the results of the March 31 local elections in İstanbul

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has emerged as the leading party in a recent opinion poll for the first time in years, leaving the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been in power since 2002, behind, according to the polling company’s owner.

The poll was conducted by the Eurasia Public Research Center (AKAM) between Sept.1 and 7. AKAM’s owner, Kemal Özkiraz, announced in a series of tweets on Monday that the CHP came in as the leading party for the first time in years. It was followed by the AKP, then the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the İYİ (Good) Party.

Özkiraz said the poll was conducted without taking the new political parties in consideration that are planned to be established by two former AKP heavyweights, former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and former deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan.

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