New Poll Suggests Erdogan Faces Uphill Battle in Potential Turkish Presidential Runoff

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, results from a new poll conducted by Turkey‘s Yun Research Institute suggest that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may face defeat in a potential second round of the Turkish presidential elections if he is to contend against the two main opposition figures. The survey involved 3,000 participants across 51 provinces in Turkey during August.

Participants were asked about their potential choices in a scenario where Erdogan and Ekrem İmamoğlu advance to a second round. İmamoğlu, the suspended mayor of Istanbul and head of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, is considered a prominent opposition figure and a key rival to Erdogan in upcoming presidential elections. He has been in detention at Marmara Prison in Silivri since March 19, 2025.

According to the poll results, İmamoğlu secured 51.3 percent of the votes, while Erdogan garnered 48.7 percent. In an alternative scenario, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş led Erdogan with 53.4 percent of the votes compared to 46.6 percent.

These results are being compared to Erdogan’s performance in the second round of the 2023 presidential elections, where he obtained 27 million votes, equating to 52.18 percent of the total ballots cast.