With two weeks to go before a general election in Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been losing steam in polls. According to a poll released over the weekend by the Konda research organization, AKP's support has fallen from 49.8% to 40.5%.
The poll also showed positive results for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). The party is polling at 11.5% of all voters, above the 10% threshold needed to take seats in parliament. The leading opposition is expected to garner around 30% of the vote.
The polls indicate that although AKP may turn out to be the largest party, it will, unlike in the current government, have to bring in coalition partners – a prospect that has shaken the Turkish economy in recent days, with stock prices gyrating.
Konda is a very respected research group in Turkey, and previous polls have proven accurate.
Meanwhile, the Erdogan government continued its practice of using the law to silence opponents. Reports on Friday said that 43 supporters of Erdogan's main political opponent, Fethullah Gulen, were arrested.
The detainees, who are mostly former teachers and police officials, are accused of trying to set up a "parallel state" in order to remove Erdogan from power.