According to a survey conducted by the Ankara-based Objective Research Center (ORC), more than 60 percent of the participants will likely say yes to the constitutional amendment package which foresees a presidential system. The amendment package is expected to gain support from six out of seven regions of Turkey with the vast majority's support, according to the survey results. The ORC conducted a computer-assisted telephone interview survey with 2,340 people throughout 36 provinces between Jan. 10 and Jan. 11. The participants were asked about their preferences in the possible referendum in accordance with the political party they support.According to the survey, more than 95 percent of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) supporters said yes and more than 56 percent of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)'s supporters also expressed their favor of the constitutional amendment package.In the light of the survey, with 70 percent of the participants from the northern provinces of Turkey supporting the amendment and more than 60 percent of the participants from the southern and middle Anatolia provinces are expected to say "yes" in the referendum. Commenting on the referendum process Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated, "Parliament has accepted that the constitutional amendment will be voted upon by the nation on the day of the referendum and they, as deputies, allowed the Turkish nation to make demands for the changes."Regarding the people who are intending to prevent the amendment to be held on the referendum, Prime Minister Yıldırım also highlighted that the main opposition CHP's claims that a regime change and the unitary structure of the government are under threat is totally unfounded because the discussion ended 93 years ago with the establishment of the Turkish Republic by Atatürk's leadership.In his speech, Prime Minister Yıldırım emphasized the importance of the Turkish people's demand and wishes to take this into consideration. Considering the gaining of the constitutional amendment, Yıldırım underlined that the Turkish people are supposed to go the ballot boxes to elect both deputies and the president on the same day, which will likely make the executive branch more powerful.Continuing with preparations for the referendum, further research done by the AK Party Vice President Prof. Nükhet Hotar touched upon the discourse made by opponents of the AK Party on so-called polarization due to ethnic and religious differences in Turkish society as a "perception operation."According to Hotar's findings, 25 percent of the participants preferred national values as the most important factor for the Turkish people. Being a citizen of Turkey is the second most important point, with more than 24 percent compared to ethnic origin and sectarian differences which are not important figures for Turkish society, with less than 2 percent. The further crucial point in the survey is that a significant number of participants want national unity to be strengthened around President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.