People have no hope left for the Palace

Politics Service

The regime, seeking to stay afloat through repression, the judicial stick and force, is failing to gain public approval on virtually any issue. The Palace administration's collapse, ranging from the economy to the judiciary, from bureaucracy to freedom of expression, is also reflected in public opinion polls.

The August results of the ‘Turkey Agenda’ survey, conducted regularly every month by GÜNDEMAR Research, also revealed the government's failure. Three-quarters of those surveyed believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Prof. Dr. Tamer Bolat, Chairman of the GÜNDEMAR Research Board, stated that the ‘Turkey Agenda’ survey was conducted between 20-26 August in 60 provinces with a total of 2,225 participants. The noteworthy results of the survey are as follows:

THE COUNTRY IS WORSENING

Participants were asked, ‘How do you assess Turkey's overall direction? Is it getting better or worse?’ In response to this question, 74% of participants stated that Turkey's overall direction was ‘getting worse,’ while only 18% stated that ‘the direction was getting better.’ Eight percent did not express an opinion on the matter. A noteworthy finding in the survey is that 55% of AKP voters also believe Turkey is going downhill. Forty-five percent of MHP voters believe it is going downhill.

ECONOMY IN DECLINE

When participants were asked, ‘How do you assess the state of the economy in Turkey? Is it getting better or worse?’ it was found that 8 out of 10 people thought the Turkish economy was getting worse. Across Turkey, 80 per cent of participants viewed the economic situation negatively, while only 15 per cent said the economy was improving.

Sixty-six per cent of AKP voters said the economy was deteriorating, while only 26 per cent said it was improving. A similar picture emerged among MHP voters: 63 per cent said it was deteriorating, while 34 per cent said it was improving.

NO FREEDOM

When asked, ‘How do you assess the state of freedom of expression and democratic rights in Turkey? Is it getting better or worse?’, 71 per cent of participants across Turkey stated that freedom of expression and democratic rights were getting worse, while only 20 per cent of society stated that the situation was improving. Fifty-one per cent of AKP voters assessed the situation in this area as deteriorating, while 35 per cent said it was improving and 14 per cent had no opinion.

When asked, ‘How do you assess the state of the judiciary and justice system in Turkey?’, three out of every four participants responded that the state of the judiciary and justice system was ‘bad’. Across Turkey, 76% of participants thought the judiciary and justice system was deteriorating, while only 16% said it was improving. Eight per cent did not express an opinion. 56% of AKP voters said the judiciary system was deteriorating, while only 30% said it was improving. Sixty-three percent of MHP voters said it was getting worse, while 34% said it was getting better.

GOVERNMENT FAILED

When participants were asked, ‘In your opinion, is the current government generally successful or unsuccessful in fulfilling its duties?’, 61% of participants found it unsuccessful, while 25% found it successful. Forty-seven per cent of AKP voters considered the government successful, 33 per cent considered it unsuccessful, and 20 per cent had no opinion. Fifty-five per cent of MHP voters considered it successful, and 33 per cent considered it unsuccessful. Fifty-five per cent of those participating in the survey considered the arrests in the operations of the municipality to be ‘unjust and politically motivated,’ while 34 per cent of participants stated that they found the arrests ‘lawful and appropriate.’ Eleven per cent of participants stated that they had ‘no opinion’ on the matter. When these results were examined on a party basis, it was seen that 59% of AKP voters and 53% of MHP voters stated that they found the arrests ‘lawful and appropriate,’ while 90% of CHP and DEM voters and 64% of İYİ Party voters found the arrests ‘unjust and politically motivated.’

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THEY FAVOURED PERSONAL GAIN

When participants were asked, ‘What do you think is the main reason for the recent switch of some opposition party (CHP and İYİ Party) municipality mayors to the AKP?’ one in two people across Turkey explained the switch as ‘personal gain’. Forty-six per cent of the public stated that the switches were due to ‘personal interests and the desire to be close to the regime,’ 15 per cent cited ‘pressure on municipalities and management difficulties,’ 21 per cent pointed to ‘internal party problems and organisational disagreements,’ and 7 per cent attributed it to ‘ideological or political change of heart.’ When participants were asked, ‘How do you view mayors resigning from the party they were elected with and switching to another party?’, 6 out of 10 people were seen to disapprove of party switching. A large majority of 63% stated that they disapproved of such transitions and that they were contrary to the will of the people.

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PUBLIC DISTURBED BY DEVELOPMENTS

When participants were asked, ‘How do developments such as “fake diplomas”, “judicial market” allegations and “party switching” make you feel?’, 6 out of 10 people were found to be very disturbed by these developments. Of those participating in the survey:

• 34 per cent felt injustice and discomfort towards these events

• 13 per cent felt sad and hopeless

• 15 per cent felt anger or resentment

• 31 per cent stated they were no longer surprised

• 3 per cent stated these events did not affect them much.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Halkın Saray’dan umudu kalmadı, published in BirGün newspaper on September 18, 2025.