Survey: Half of AKP voters against withdrawal from İstanbul Convention

"İstanbul Convention should be implemented." (File photo)

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Nearly 64 percent of the people are against Turkey's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, according to a survey by the Metropoll company.

Among the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) voters, only 25.7 percent said Turkey should withdraw from the convention while 50 percent were against the withdrawal, the company's owner, Özer Sancar, said on Twitter.

AKP Deputy Chair Numan Kurtulmuş said in early July that Turkey's participation in the convention was wrong and the government was preparing for withdrawal.

Participants of the survey were asked, "İstanbul Convention is an international convention that aims to prevent violence against women. Do you approve of the government's withdrawal from this convention?"

While only 17 percent of the participants said they approved the withdrawal, 63.6 percent stated that they didn't and 19.4 percent said they had no idea.

As many as 83.2 percent of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) voters and 85.2 percent of the İYİ (Good) Party voters said they were against the withdrawal from the convention. The proportion of those who are against the convention is 7.6 percent for the CHP and 3.5 percent for the İYİ Party.

As for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voters, 67.2 percent are against the withdrawal while 18.2 percent support it.

Among the voters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of the AKP, 27.3 percent said Turkey should withdraw from the convention while 39.1 percent said they were against the withdrawal. (RT/VK)