Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi
Abbreviation	DEM Parti
Co-Leaders	Tulay Hatımoğulları Oruç Tuncer Bakırhan
Founded	25 November 2012
Merger of	Equality and Democracy Party Greens Party Peoples' Democratic Party (2023)
Headquarters	Atatürk Bulvarı No:88 Daire: 16 Çankaya – Ankara
Membership (2024)	10,353
Ideology	Minority rights Kurdish interests Kurdish nationalism Green politics Regionalism Secularism Left-wing populism
Political position	Centre-left to left-wing
National affiliation	Peoples' Democratic Congress Labour and Freedom Alliance Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance
European affiliation	European Green Party (candidate member)
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
Politics of Turkey Political parties Elections 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. 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 until 15 October 2023 when a party congress decided to change the name, 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.

History

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.

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.

Political positions

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

The party has formally acknowledged the Armenian genocide.

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

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	57	Opposition

Local elections