Poll highlights public support for Bayraktar, Imamoglu amid economic crisis in Türkiye

A recent political poll conducted by the Society Studies Institute reveals significant public dissatisfaction with Türkiye’s current governance due to economic dissatisfaction while spotlighting two prominent figures: Selcuk Bayraktar and Ekrem Imamoglu in a scenario where President Erdogan does not run again for presidency.

The survey, carried out on December 27–28 with 1,500 participants, indicates that 62.9% of respondents believe the country is being governed “poorly” or “very poorly,” marking a five-point increase from three months ago.

37.1% expressed satisfaction with the current administration.

Syria policy gains support but fails to offset economic discontent

The survey highlights public approval of Türkiye’s recent Syria policy following the downfall of the Assad regime. Among ruling party voters, 77.4% of AK Party supporters and 73.2% of MHP supporters view the policy as successful.

However, this approval has not been sufficient to address economic frustrations. A significant 85.4% of participants consider the newly announced 2025 minimum wage of ₺22,104 lira ($624) inadequate.

Even among AK Party supporters, 77.9% share this sentiment.

Selcuk Bayraktar gains unexpected political support

One of the most striking findings is the performance of Selcuk Bayraktar in a hypothetical three-way presidential election scenario against Mansur Yavas and Ekrem Imamoglu. Bayraktar leads with 34.3%, followed by Yavas at 29.5% and Imamoglu at 27.8%.

Bayraktar enjoys significant support from AK Party (62.4%), MHP (65.1%), and New Welfare Party (39.9%) voters.

In another scenario where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is included without Bayraktar, Erdogan leads with 34.2%, followed by Yavas at 30.3% and Imamoglu at 28.3%.

When Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is added to the mix, he emerges as the leading candidate with 36.3%, followed by Yavas (28.9%) and Imamoglu (26.9%).

Imamoglu maintains strong public backing despite legal challenges

The survey also sheds light on public opinion regarding the legal cases against Ekrem Imamoglu, Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Two-thirds of respondents believe Imamoglu should not face a political ban, with 66.5% opposing such measures and only 22% supporting them.

Even among AK Party voters, 43% oppose a political ban on Imamoglu, while this figure rises to 51% among MHP voters.

Political party support: CHP narrowly leads AK Party

When undecided voters are distributed, the survey places the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the lead with 31.3%, narrowly edging out the ruling AK Party at 30.8%.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) follows with 10.9%, while the Peoples’ Equality and Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) holds 8.4%. The Victory Party and the Good Party (IYI Party) each secure 4%, with the New Welfare Party trailing at 3.4%.

Leadership perception: Ozgur Ozel divides CHP voters

Within CHP ranks, 65% of voters view party leader Ozgur Ozel‘s performance positively, while 29% consider his leadership unsuccessful.