ENG - The Republican People's Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi or CHP) is the oldest political party in the Republic of Turkey and is the main party of the Centre-left.
The party was established during the Congress of Sivas as a union of resistance groups against the invasion of Anatolia.
The union represented Turkish people as a unified front during the Turkish War of Independence. On September 9, 1923 "People's Party" officially declared itself as a political organization and on October 29, 1923 announced the establishment of the Turkish Republic.
On 10 November 1924 the People's Party renamed itself to "Republican People's Party" (CHP) as Turkey was moving into Single-Party period.
During the Single-Party period CHP become the major political organization of Single-party state.
The current (or modern) structure of the party was established with the transition to Multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey. - Have you voted in the poll Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi ? -
After World War II, with the title Millî Şef("National Chief"), Gen. Ismet Inonu who was in lead of CHP has introduced democratic elections to the Turkish society. Consequent reforms enabling further democratization can also be interpreted as a response to the Soviet threat since USSR was about to get permission from the former allies to invade the Eastern part of Turkey and to limit Turkish sovereignity over her straits. It was a smart move for Ismet Inonu to side with the Western pact to preserve national sovereignity for a while, but in the meantime his party lost the first truely-democratic elections (the second general elections after 1946) of the republican era, held in 1950, and he left his seat to his old companion, Celal Bayar.
During the interim "Multi-Party Periods" in between the military coups of 1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997, CHP is regarded as being social-democratic (member of the Socialist International), state nationalistic and secular/laicist.
The party's logo consists of the Six Arrows, which represent the foundational principles of Kemalist Ideology: republicanism, nationalism, statism, populism, laicité, and revolutionism.
CHP, along with all other political parties of the time, was closed down for a brief period by the military coup of 1980. - Has changed the detail your opinion on Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi ? - An inheritor party which still participates in Turkish democratic life, was established in 1984, as Demokratik Sol Parti by the former leader of CHP, Bülent Ecevit. CHP was finally reestablished with its original name in September 9, 1992, with the participation of a majority of its previous members of the pre-1980 period.
 
Republican People's Party is currently a center-leftist political party with traditional ties to middle and upper-middle classes such as white-collar workers, retired generals, government bureaucrats, academicians, college students, left-leaning intellectuals and labor unions such as DİSK, and well-to-do entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, the loose relationship between CHP and some labor unions, business chambers and most non-governmental organizations alienated significant support from CHP. The distance between party administration and many leftist grassroots, especially left oriented Kurdish voters, contributes the shift of CHP from political left to an authoritarian base.
Despite heavy criticism from liberal and libertarian socialist interest groups, CHP still holds a significant position in the Socialist International as well as being an associate member of the Party of European Socialists. - Have you read details about CHP (Turkey) ? - CHP urged the Socialist International to accept Republican Turkish Party of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer member.
At the 2007 general election CHP ran in alliance with Democratic Left Party. CHP suffered a heavy defeat, getting 7,300,234 votes (20.85% of the total). CHP, YTP, and DSP combined got 21.77% of the votes back in 2002. The party could become first only in three provinces in Thrace (Edirne, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli) and two provinces on the Aegean coast (İzmir, Muğla). With these results, 112 candidates (13 of these MPs are DSP affiliates) were elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from the CHP electoral sheet compared to 178 in 2002.

 

Leader: Deniz Baykal ( 2000– till today )

Founded: 9 September 1923

Political Ideology: Social democracy, Kemalism

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_People's_Party_(Turkey)

20th November