Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party

History

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. Already in October 2022, YSP changed their logo to design closer to HDP.

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. 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. A month earlier it was reported that YSP planned to rename itself to "Democratic People's Party" (). The abbreviation "HEDEP" was rejected for the resemblance to HADEP.

Political positions

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."

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.

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. 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.

Election results

Parliamentary elections

Local elections

Notes

References

References

1. "Our Party".
2. "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'".
3. (4 March 2023). "Kürt Özgürlük ve Demokrasi İttifakı'nın tutum deklarasyonu açıklandı".
4. "Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi". [[Court of Cassation (Turkey).
5. "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'".
6. "Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi".
7. (15 March 2024). "Robbed of their elected mayors, Kurds hope March 31 will be a day of reparation".
8. (15 October 2023). "HEDEP: Yeşil Sol Parti adını değiştirdi, partinin eş başkanları Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç ve Tuncer Bakırhan".
9. A.Ş, Piri Medya. "DEM'li Bakırhan teröristlerin sesi olmaya devam edeceklerini açıkça ilan etti {{!}} Politika Haberleri". Yeni Şafak.
10. (14 March 2023). "Yeşil Sol Parti, HDP'nin parti üzerinden seçime girme ihtimaline nasıl bakıyor?".
11. Altunterim, Yasemin. (11 March 2023). "Yeşil Sol Parti ( Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek ) Nedir, HDP ile İlişkisi Ne? Yeşil Sol Parti Seçime Girecek mi?".
12. Duvar, Gazete. (24 March 2023). "Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı'nda tam uzlaşı sağlandı".
13. (15 October 2023). "HEDEP: Yeşil Sol Parti adını değiştirdi, partinin eş başkanları Tülay Hatimoğulları Oruç ve Tuncer Bakırhan".
14. (25 September 2023). "Yeşil Sol Parti'nin yeni ismi belli oldu: Demokratik Halklar Partisi".
15. (11 December 2023). "Pro-Kurdish HEDEP changes acronym to DEM Party".
16. "DEM Parti Tüzüğü". DEM Party.
17. (13 September 2023). "Turkey: Green Left Party holds conference to discuss road map (Plus: GL conference ends with resolutions for the future)".
18. (8 August 2023). "YSP Eş Sözcüsü Uçar: "Türkiye'nin demokratikleşmesinde en önemli aktör Öcalan'dır, devreye girdiğinde iktidar meşruluğunu yitirecektir"".
19. (16 August 2023). "HDP ve Yeşil Sol Parti çalıştaylarından, demokratik İslam çalışmalarını yaygınlaştırma kararı çıktı".
20. (12 September 2023). "Yeşil Sol Parti konferans bildirgesi: Kürtlere özgürlük, Türkiye'ye demokrasi".
21. "Green Left Party releases final declaration: 'Our mission is to end the one-man regime'".