Closure Case Bolsters Support for the EU

From Gareth Jenkins at the Eurasia Daily Monitor (excerpt):

A recent opinion poll suggests that the closure case brought by Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has boosted Turkish public support for EU membership, particularly among AKP voters.

A survey conducted by A&G Araştırma (A&G Research) found that 41.9 percent of the Turkish population believes that Turkey “should definitely” join the EU, up from 30.1 percent in January. The change was even more dramatic among AKP supporters, with 47.1 percent now saying that Turkey should definitely join the EU, up from 29.5 percent in January. The survey was conducted on April 5-6, less than a week after the Constitutional Court formally began hearing the case brought by Yalcinkaya against the party (see EDM, April 1). A total of 1,453 respondents (724 women and 729 men) over the age of 18 were questioned in 68 counties in 26 provinces across Turkey.