Presidential system is not favored by almost half of Turks, survey says

ISTANBUL

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Almost half of Turks do not want to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential system, and their proportion also exceeds those who want a presidential system, according to a recent survey released by the Metropoll research center.

While 42.2 percent of Turks do not wish for a presidential system, only 34.3 percent are in favor of the system. The rest of the respondents said they do not have an opinion on the issue. The percentage of those who favor the presidential system has decreased from 43.2 in June 2012, while the percentage of people against it has since increased from 37.7 percent.

In the recent survey, 55.2 percent of the respondents who identify as supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are in favor of the presidential system, while the rate of those who are against is 17.3 percent. The rate of those who are in favor of the presidential system among the supporters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is 10.7 percent, while a large majority of them, 73.7 percent, are against it, according to the survey.

The respondents were also asked whether they believe the president is neutral, as the president has to be neutral toward all political parties according to the constitution.

 A total of 59 percent of respondents said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not neutral, while only 35 percent said he is neutral. Meanwhile, the responses to the question on who is actually leading the AKP were also intriguing. A majority of respondents, 75 percent, said Erdoğan is leading the AKP, while only 21.1 percent said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is actually leading the party. The results were similar when respondents were asked who rules the government. A total of 78.6 percent said Erdoğan leads the government, while only 18.1 percent named Davutoğlu as the head of government.