Republican People's Party

This article is about the political party in Turkey. For other uses, see Republican People's Party (disambiguation).

Republican People's Party
Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi
AbbreviationCHP (in Turkish)
RPP (in English)
LeaderÖzgür Özel
Secretary-GeneralSelin Sayek Böke
SpokespersonDeniz Yücel
FounderMustafa Kemal Atatürk
Founded
  • 7 September 1919 (1919-09-07) (as a resistance organisation)
  • 9 September 1923 (1923-09-09) (as a political party)
  • 9 September 1992 (1992-09-09) (re-establishment and current form)
Banned16 October 1981 (1981-10-16) (re-established in 1992)
Preceded by
Succeeded byPopulist Party (1983–1985)
Social Democracy Party (1983–1985)
Democratic Left Party (1985–present)
HeadquartersAnadolu Bulvarı No: 12,
Çankaya, Ankara
Student wingHalk-Lis (Halkçı Liseliler)
Youth wingCHP Youth
Women's wingCHP Kadın Kolları
NGOAtatürkist Thought Association (unofficial)
SODEV (unofficial)
Membership (2024)Increase 1,428,800[4]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left
National affiliationNation Alliance (2018–2023)
European affiliationParty of European Socialists (associate)
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
Socialist International
Historical:
Radical International[10] (associate)[11]
Colours  Red
SloganOur work is Türkiye
Grand National Assembly
128 / 600
Metropolitan municipalities
14 / 30
Provinces
21 / 51
District municipalities
316 / 922
Belde Municipalities
61 / 388
Party flag
Flag of the Republican People's Party
Website
chp.org.tr

The Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, pronounced [dʒumhuːɾiˈjet haɫk 'paɾtisi] ⓘ, acronymized as CHP [dʒeːheːpeˑ]) is a Kemalist and social democratic political party in Turkey.[12] It is the oldest political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president and founder of the modern Republic of Türkiye. The party is also cited as the founding party of modern Turkey.[13] Its logo consists of the Six Arrows, which represent the foundational principles of Kemalism: republicanism, reformism, laicism (Laïcité/Secularism), populism, nationalism, and statism. It is currently the second largest party in Grand National Assembly with 128 MPs, behind the ruling conservative Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The political party has its origins in the various resistance groups founded during the Turkish War of Independence. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, they united in the 1919 Sivas Congress. In 1923, the "People's Party", soon adding the word "Republican" to its name, declared itself to be a political organisation and announced the establishment of the Turkish Republic, with Atatürk as its first president. As Turkey moved into its authoritarian one-party period, the CHP was the apparatus of implementing far reaching political, cultural, social, and economic reforms in the country.

After World War II, Atatürk's successor, İsmet İnönü, allowed for multi-party elections, and the party initiated a peaceful transition of power after losing the 1950 election, ending the one-party period and beginning Turkey's multi-party period. The years following the 1960 military coup saw the party gradually trend towards the center-left, which was cemented once Bülent Ecevit became chairman in 1972. The CHP, along with all other political parties of the time, was banned by the military junta of 1980. The CHP was re-established with its original name by Deniz Baykal on 9 September 1992, with the participation of a majority of its members from the pre-1980 period. Since 2002 it has been the main opposition party to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).[14] Özgür Özel is the chairman of the CHP since 5 November 2023.

CHP is an associate member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), a member of the Socialist International, and the Progressive Alliance. Many politicians of CHP have declared their support for LGBT rights and the feminist movement in Turkey. The party is pro-European and supports Turkish membership to European Union and NATO.

  1. ^ Yenen, Alp (2018). "Elusive forces in illusive eyes: British officialdom's perception of the Anatolian resistance movement". Middle Eastern Studies. 54 (5): 788–810. doi:10.1080/00263206.2018.1462161. hdl:1887/74261. S2CID 150032953.
  2. ^ Zürcher, Erik J. (1992). "The Ottoman Legacy of the Turkish Republic: An Attempt at a New Periodization". Die Welt des Islams. 32 (2): 237–253. doi:10.2307/1570835. ISSN 0043-2539. JSTOR 1570835.
  3. ^ Üngör, Uğur Ümit (2008). "Geographies of Nationalism and Violence: Rethinking Young Turk 'Social Engineering'". European Journal of Turkish Studies. Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey (7). doi:10.4000/ejts.2583. ISSN 1773-0546.
  4. ^ "Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi" (in Turkish). Court of Cassation. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  5. ^ Liza Mügge (2013). "Brussels Calling: The European organisation of migrants from Turkey". In Dirk Halm; Muhittin Öztürk (eds.). Migration and Organized Civil Society: Rethinking National Policy. Routledge. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-136-24650-0.
  6. ^ "Chp Parti Tüzüğü" (PDF). 16 March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2023. Başlık 10: "Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, programındaki anlamlarıyla Atatürkçülüğün "Cumhuriyetçilik, Milliyetçilik, Halkçılık, Devletçilik, Laiklik, Devrimcilik" ilkelerine bağlıdır."
  7. ^ "Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi – Parti İçi Eğitim Birimi" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  8. ^ "The Republican People's Party (CHP) is Complicit in the Erosion of Democracy in Turkey". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. ^ Alfred Stepan; Ahmet T. Kuru, eds. (2012). "The European Union and the Justice and Development Party". Democracy, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey. Columbia University Press. p. 184, paragraph 2.
  10. ^ "International Entente of Radical and Similar Democratic Parties". LONSEA – League of Nations Search Engine. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi'nin diğer ülke partileriyle ilişkisi (1923–1950) / Relationship of Republican People's Party with parties from other countries (1923–1950)". tez.yok.gov.tr. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  12. ^ "The Republican People's Party (CHP) is Complicit in the Erosion of Democracy in Turkey". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  13. ^ Ciddi, Sinan (2009). Kemalism in Turkish Politics: The Republican People's Party, Secularism and Nationalism. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-47504-4.
  14. ^ "History of the CHP". chp.org.tr (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.