Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party
Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi
AbbreviationDEM Parti
Co-LeadersTulay Hatımoğulları Oruç
Tuncer Bakırhan
Founded25 November 2012 (2012-11-25)
Merger ofEquality and Democracy Party
Greens Party
Peoples' Democratic Party (2023)[lower-alpha 1]
HeadquartersAtatürk Bulvarı No:88 Daire: 16 Çankaya – Ankara
Membership (2024)Increase 10,353[1]
Ideology
Green politics
Regionalism
Secularism
Left-wing populism
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing
National affiliationPeoples' Democratic Congress
Labour and Freedom Alliance
Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance[4]
European affiliationEuropean Green Party (candidate member)[5]
List members (2023)Peoples' Democratic Party
Labour Party
Labourist Movement Party
Social Freedom Party
Colours      Purple, Green, Yellow
Grand National Assembly
57 / 600
Website
hedep.org.tr
  1. ↑ HDP members ran on the YSP list in the 2023 election and in October 2023 YSP was renamed into HEDEP and thus put into the tradition of HEP.
  2. ↑ since 2023

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (Kurdish: Partiya Wekhevî û Demokrasiya Gelan; Turkish: Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, abbreviated as DEM Parti), formerly known as Party of the Greens and the Left Future[lower-alpha 1] until 15 October 2023 when a party congress decided to change the name,[6] is a pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey. It was founded on 25 November 2012 as a green and left-libertarian party, a merger of the Greens' Party and the Equality and Democracy Party. With the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) handing over its work to this party in 2023, it became the latest iteration of the Kurdish independence movement in Turkey.

Prominent founders included Murat Belge, political author and former columnist for Taraf; Kutluğ Ataman, filmmaker and contemporary artist; and Ufuk Uras, former Istanbul deputy and president of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP).

Similarly to its predecessors, the party is often labeled by its adversaries as the political branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey.[7]

History

Former logo of "Green Left Party"

The party is one of the participants in the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), a political initiative instrumental in founding the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in 2012.

Their chairpersons were temporarily arrested in February 2018 but released with a travel ban for the exterior and under monitoring of the police. They were charged over social media activity and books in their possession.<refname=6></ref>

2023 election

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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10]

Political positions

The party supports decentralization and advocates for significantly shifting central powers to local governments.[11]

The party has formally acknowledged the Armenian genocide.[12]

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.[13][14]

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.[15][16]

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.[17]

Election results

Parliamentary elections

Grand National Assembly of Turkey
Election date Leader Votes  % of Votes Seats +/- Position
2023 Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar
İbrahim Akın		4,803,7748.82%
57 / 600
 Increase57Opposition

Local elections

Local elections
Election date Leader Popular Vote Percentage Municipalities Councillors
Metropolitan District Municipal Provincial
2024 Tulay Hatımoğulları Oruç

Tuncer Bakırhan

Notes

  1. ↑ (Turkish: Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi), also translated as Greens and the Left Party of the Future, officially abbreviated as Green Left Party (Turkish: Yeşil Sol Parti), unofficially abbreviated as YSP or YSGP

References

  1. ↑ "Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi" (in Turkish). Court of Cassation. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'". Rûdaw. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ↑ "Kürt Özgürlük ve Demokrasi İttifakı'nın tutum deklarasyonu açıklandı". Gazete Duvar. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Diyarbakır'da Kürt partilerle ittifak: 'Kürtlerin birliği, Kürtlerin özgürlüğüdür'". Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ↑ https://europeangreens.eu/map Members
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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
  8. ↑ "Yeşil Sol Parti, HDP'nin parti üzerinden seçime girme ihtimaline nasıl bakıyor?". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  9. ↑ Duvar, Gazete (2023-03-24). "Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı'nda tam uzlaşı sağlandı". www.gazeteduvar.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Umudun siyasetini birlikte büyütmek için" (PDF). yesilsolparti.org (in Turkish). September 2021. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  12. ↑ "Turkey's Green Party recognizes Armenian Genocide | ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency". Armenpress.am. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ "HDP ve Yeşil Sol Parti çalıştaylarından, demokratik İslam çalışmalarını yaygınlaştırma kararı çıktı". medyascope.tv (in Turkish). 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  16. ↑ "Yeşil Sol Parti konferans bildirgesi: Kürtlere özgürlük, Türkiye'ye demokrasi". bianet (in Turkish). 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  17. ↑ "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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