With nearly a month to go to the June general elections, a recently conducted survey by the Germany-based Turkish-German Foundation for Education and Scientific Research's (TAVAK) was released, which showed a little over half of Turks living in Germany who were surveyed support the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the upcoming elections. The TAVAK survey, which was conducted with 1,410 participants from eight different cities in Germany, found 53 percent of those surveyed would vote for the AK Party in the June 7 general elections.

TAVAK President Faruk Şen said that the participants in the survey, which was conducted in the cities of Cologne, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hannover, Munich and Dortmund, were 48 percent female and 52 percent male. Şen further added: "While 53 percent of participants indicated support for the AK Party, the Republican People's Party [CHP] had 17 percent, the People's Democracy Party [HDP] 14 percent and the Nationalist Movement Party [MHP)] received 13 percent of votes out of 1,410 participants." The remaining three percent, according to the survey, indicated that they would vote for other parties.

With the HDP devoting every effort to pass the 10 percent election threshold, and the latest election poll by GENAR showing 10.9 percent support from the voting public, Şen said that nearly 850,000 people of Kurdish origin live in Germany, and that there are almost 450,000 Kurdish voters that will increase the votes for the HDP in the upcoming election. In this regard, votes from abroad are expected to aid the HDP in its efforts to pass the 10 percent election threshold.

"The CHP excluding organizations such as the Popular Revolutionary Federation (HDF) are costing them votes. Also, those who claim to be left-wing supporters who formerly voted for the CHP are now leaning toward the HDP," Şen said. Regarding votes for the MHP, the results from the poll show low support, which may be linked to MHP deputies not visiting Turkish communities in Germany. Şen said that the MHP does not show any interest in the problems that Turks face in Germany, and has not nominated a deputy candidate linked to the Turkish communities in Germany.