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Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party

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Not to be confused with Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey).
Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party
Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi
AbbreviationDEM Party (official in English)[1]
Co-LeadersTülay Hatimoğulları
Tuncer Bakırhan
Founded2023[a]
Merger ofGreen Left Party
Peoples' Democratic Party
HeadquartersAtatürk Bulvarı No:88 Daire: 16 Çankaya – Ankara
Membership (2024)Increase 10,353[2]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing
National affiliationPeoples' Democratic Congress
Labour and Freedom Alliance
Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance[5]
European affiliationParty of European Socialists (associate member)[6]
Colours      Purple, Green, Yellow
Grand National Assembly
57 / 600
Metropolitan municipalities
2 / 30
Provinces
5 / 51
District municipalities
55 / 922
Belde Municipalities
9 / 388
Website
demparti.org.tr
  1. ^ HDP ran on the YSP list in May 2023, the official rebrand happened on 15 October 2023.

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (Kurmanji Kurdish: Partiya Wekhevî û Demokrasiya Gelan; Turkish: Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, abbreviated as DEM Party)[7] is a pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey. It is the legal successor of the Green Left Party[8] and with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) handing over its work to this party in 2023, it became the latest iteration of the Kurdish minority interests party in Turkey.[clarification needed]

Similarly to its predecessors, its adversaries accuse the party of being the political branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey.[9]

History

[edit]
See also: Kurdish Political Movement in Turkey
Logo of Green Left Party 2022–2023

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has faced a closure case since 2021. Selahattin Demirtaş stated that if the party is closed, HDP parliamentary candidates would enter the Green Left Party (YSP) lists in the 2023 general election. Furthermore, the party leadership of HDP announced that it would hand over active political work to the YSP.[10] Already in October 2022, YSP changed their logo to design closer to HDP.[11]

Upon the decision taken on 24 March 2023, Peoples' Democratic Party, Labour Party, Labourist Movement Party and Social Freedom Party decided to enter the 2023 general election from the Green Left Party lists.[12] The party received 8.82% of the votes and currently has 57 MPs in the parliament, while HDP had won 11.7% of the votes in the 2018 elections. The YSP did not nominate any presidential candidate for the 2023 election but instead supported Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was the joint presidential candidate of an opposition bloc named the Nation Alliance and was defeated by the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the run-off round.

The Green Left Party's 4th Extraordinary Congress was held on 15 October 2023 in Ankara Atatürk Sports Hall with the slogan "Again for Freedom", where the YSP changed its name and elected new co-chairs. The new name of the party was determined as Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP). Adana MP Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç and Siirt MP Tuncer Bakırhan were elected as co-chairs.[13] A month earlier it was reported that YSP planned to rename itself to "Democratic People's Party" (Turkish: Demokratik Halklar Partisi).[14] The abbreviation "HEDEP" was rejected for the resemblance to HADEP.[15]

Political positions

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The party charter states that the DEM Party "assumes political responsibility for a new life and future, for the establishment of a democratic, libertarian, egalitarian, just, ecological, gender-equal and solidaristic society, with a pluralist, participatory and deliberative understanding of struggle; defending universal human rights without any discrimination, protecting the rights of nature and all living things, fighting against militarism" and that it is an ecologist, peaceful democratic political party in favor of labor and social justice. It proclaims that "our Party, where the forces that struggle together for these goals come together to eliminate all forms of oppression, exploitation and discrimination and to build a life worthy of human dignity, aims for a democratic people's rule."[16]

Following the 2023 elections, the party held a two-day conference in Ankara under the slogan "With Change to Freedom". At the conference, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, co-spokesperson of the Green Left Party, defined the Kurdish question as the most important problem in Turkey, and a matter of denial and annihilation. Uçar has also stated that Abdullah Öcalan is "the most important actor for Turkey's democratization", claiming his "absolute isolation" in İmralı that has lasted for 24 years to be the biggest obstacle to democratization.[17][18]

Instead of the French laique model of secularism with the complete exclusion of religion from politics and social life, the party promotes "liberal secularism" through activities such as the "Democratic Islam Desk", which is part of the party's Peoples and Beliefs Commission.[19][20]

On 26 March 2023, the party issued a resolute declaration following its party assembly meeting, emphasizing its commitment to challenging the current one-man regime in Turkey and advocating for a democratic republic. The declaration advocates for the revolutionaries, Alevis, Kurds, women, and youth to push for change and express their demands for their rights, education and housing.[21]

Election results

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Parliamentary elections

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Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Election date Leader Votes % of Votes Seats +/- Position
2023 Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar
İbrahim Akın		 4,803,774 8.82%
57 / 600
 Increase57 Opposition

Local elections

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Election date Leader Councillors Municipalities
Popular Vote % ± Popular Vote % # ±
2024 Tülay Hatimoğulları
Tuncer Bakırhan 		2.646.124 5,80 (#5) Decrease 0,04

(as HDP)

2.625.588 5,70 (#4)
85 / 1,389
 Increase 60

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Party".
  2. ^ "Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi" (in Turkish). Court of Cassation. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'". Rûdaw. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. ^ "Kürt Özgürlük ve Demokrasi İttifakı'nın tutum deklarasyonu açıklandı". Gazete Duvar. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ^ "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'". Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. ^ "Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi" [Peoples' Equality and Democratic Party]. Party of European Socialists. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Robbed of their elected mayors, Kurds hope March 31 will be a day of reparation". 15 March 2024.
  8. ^ Sayın, Ayşe (15 October 2023). "HEDEP: Yeşil Sol Parti adını değiştirdi, partinin eş başkanları Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç ve Tuncer Bakırhan". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  9. ^ A.Ş, Piri Medya, DEM'li Bakırhan teröristlerin sesi olmaya devam edeceklerini açıkça ilan etti | Politika Haberleri (in Turkish), Yeni Şafak, retrieved 2023-12-24
  10. ^ "Yeşil Sol Parti, HDP'nin parti üzerinden seçime girme ihtimaline nasıl bakıyor?". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  11. ^ Altunterim, Yasemin (2023-03-11). "Yeşil Sol Parti ( Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek ) Nedir, HDP ile İlişkisi Ne? Yeşil Sol Parti Seçime Girecek mi?". Onedio.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  12. ^ Duvar, Gazete (2023-03-24). "Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı'nda tam uzlaşı sağlandı". www.gazeteduvar.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  13. ^ Sayın, Ayşe (15 October 2023). "HEDEP: Yeşil Sol Parti adını değiştirdi, partinin eş başkanları Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç ve Tuncer Bakırhan". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Yeşil Sol Parti'nin yeni ismi belli oldu: Demokratik Halklar Partisi". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  15. ^ Rasul, Azhi (11 December 2023). "Pro-Kurdish HEDEP changes acronym to DEM Party". Rudaw Media Network. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  16. ^ "DEM Parti Tüzüğü" (PDF). DEM Party (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  17. ^ "Turkey: Green Left Party holds conference to discuss road map (Plus: GL conference ends with resolutions for the future)". links.org.au. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  18. ^ "YSP Eş Sözcüsü Uçar: "Türkiye'nin demokratikleşmesinde en önemli aktör Öcalan'dır, devreye girdiğinde iktidar meşruluğunu yitirecektir"". medyascope.tv (in Turkish). 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  19. ^ "HDP ve Yeşil Sol Parti çalıştaylarından, demokratik İslam çalışmalarını yaygınlaştırma kararı çıktı". medyascope.tv (in Turkish). 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  20. ^ "Yeşil Sol Parti konferans bildirgesi: Kürtlere özgürlük, Türkiye'ye demokrasi". bianet (in Turkish). 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  21. ^ "Green Left Party releases final declaration: 'Our mission is to end the one-man regime'". bianet.org. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
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