AKP losing votes to MHP: Report

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The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been losing its votes to its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), according to the evaluations carried out by the government.

As the foundation of two new parties led by former AKP figures Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoğlu nears, the AKP has been working on determining whether the party will lose its votes to the new ones, daily Cumhuriyet reported on Dec. 1.

Although Davutoğlu and Babacan say that a number of AKP members will join their ranks, a limited number of resignations among the party base is expected by the government due to the opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan having already left the party to mostly join the İYİ (Good) Party.

While the effect of the new parties are evaluated to be limited, it was observed that the AKP has been losing votes to the MHP, which was also the case in the previous elections.

The MHP's votes are increasing, Cumhuriyet said, as the number of votes shifting from the AKP to MHP keeps on increasing due to those dissatisfied with the former joining the latter.

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli has been keeping the votes in the People's Alliance via luring those leaving the AKP - a strategy that reportedly doesn't bother Erdoğan due to the votes staying in the alliance.

Cumhuriyet said that while the number of seats of the People's Alliance would remain between 300 and 350 if elections were held today, the difference in the number of lawmakers is expected to decrease with the increase in the votes of the MHP.

Works towards including the İYİ and Felicity (Saadet) Party in the People's Alliance may be carried out in the future, the daily said.