Republican People's Party
Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi |
|
---|---|
Abbreviation | CHP |
President | Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu |
Secretary-General | Kamil Okyay Sındır |
Spokesperson | Selin Sayek Böke |
Founder and "Honorary President" | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk |
Founded |
|
Preceded by | Association for the Defense of the Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia |
Headquarters | |
Student wing | Halk-Lis (high school) |
Youth wing | CHP Youth |
Women's wing | CHP Kadın Kolları |
Membership (2014) | 1,083,353 |
Ideology |
Kemalism Social democracy Left of Center |
Political position | Centre-left |
European affiliation | Party of European Socialists (associate) |
International affiliation | |
Colors |
Red White |
Slogan | Önce insan, önce birlik, önce Türkiye. (People first, unity first, Turkey first.) |
Parliament: |
|
Metropolitan municipalities: |
|
District municipalities: |
|
Provincial councillors: |
|
Party flag | |
Six Arrows (Altı Ok) |
|
Website | |
www |
|
The Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP; [d͡ʒum.huː.ɾi.ˈjet hɑɫk pɑɾ.ˈti.si]) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of the Republic of Turkey and is currently the main opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to the founding principles and values of the Republic of Turkey". Also, the party is cited as "the founding party of modern Turkey".
The political party was established during the Congress of Sivas in 1919 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 (1919–1923). On 9 September 1923, the "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 moved into a one-party period.
During the one-party period, the CHP became the major political organisation of a one-party state. However, CHP faced two opposition parties during this period, both established upon the request of the founder of Turkey and CHP leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in efforts to jump-start multiparty democracy in Turkey. The first one was the Progressive Republican Party established in 1924 by famous generals such as Kazım Karabekir and Ali Fuat Cebesoy, which both served during the Turkish War of Independence and the second one was the Liberal Republican Party founded by Ali Fethi Okyar in 1930. Both of which, however, were banned within a few months of their establishment by the state for veering too closely to Islamism. This experience was followed by the founding of the National Development Party by Nuri Demirağ in 1945.