Disapproval rate of Erdoğan's job higher than approval rate: Poll

A nationwide survey has revealed that 47.8 percent of the population do not approve of Erdoğan's leadership as president, whereas 46 percent are happy with his performance.

Duvar English

The approval rating of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saw a slight decrease in February, according to a survey conducted by the Ankara-based research firm MetroPoll.

The survey company said that 46 percent of the population approve “the way Erdoğan is handling his job as president.” This figure was 46.1 percent in January. Erdoğan's popularity had been at 55 percent in March of 2020, when the coronavirus struck Turkey, the highest approval rating since the failed coup attempt of July 2016.

The survey showed that 47.8 percent of the population did not approve of Erdoğan's performance as president, marking a 0.4 percent increase compared to January.

The survey participants were also asked to indicate for which political party they voted in the 2018 general elections.

Accordingly, 85.5 percent of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters approve of the president's conduct, whereas this figure is 66.4 percent for Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voters.

Meanwhile, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voters had a whopping 95.0 percent disapproval rate, followed by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) at 91.0 percent.

Voters of İYİ (Good) Party said they disapprove of Erdoğan at a rate of 84.8 percent.

The survey also revealed a pattern of rises in Erdoğan's approval rate during crises.