Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
|
Democratic Left Party
Demokratik Sol Parti |
|
|---|---|
.png) |
|
| Leader | Önder Aksakal |
| Founder | Rahşan Ecevit and Bulent Ecevit |
| Founded | 14 November 1985 |
| Split from | Republican People's Party (Opposition) |
| Headquarters | Mareşal Fevzi Çakmak Cad.17, Beşevler - Ankara, Turkey |
| Ideology |
Social democracy Democratic socialism Social liberalism Kemalism, Ecevitism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Colours | White and light blue |
| Parliament: |
0 / 550
|
| Municipalities: |
61 / 2,919
|
| Website | |
| http://www.dsp.org.tr/ | |
The Democratic Left Party (Turkish: Demokratik Sol Parti - DSP) is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.
The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup d'état.
In 1986 Bülent Ecevit addressed the DSP convention in Ankara, declaring his support for the party. The address landed him in court for allegedly violating the political bans. The DSP was unable, however, to achieve a substantial showing in the 1986 by-elections even though Ecevit, despite his ban, continued to campaign at the party's rallies as a "guest speaker".
The political ban on Ecevit was lifted following a referendum in 1987. Later that year, Rahşan Ecevit handed over the rule of the party to her spouse. But the party failed to pass the 10% national threshold needed for a political party to have a seat in Parliament in the 1987 elections, prompting the Ecevits to step down from their positions in the party.
In 1988, Necdet Karababa was elected as the new party leader. However, the next year, Ecevit was reelected as party chairman in the party convention. Two years later in 1991, the DSP received 10.75% of the votes in the elections allowing the party to have seven seats in the Parliament. This also meant the return of Ecevit to the Parliament after 11 years.
It was a minor party until it won 76 parliamentary seats in the December 1995 elections. Again in 1995, the party started to suffer from inner conflicts after years of serenity. The inner conflicts in the party ended with the dismissal of Erdal Kesebir, MP for Edirne and three other DSP members.
In 1997, the DSP became a partner of a three-way coalition government led by Mesut Yılmaz who at the time was the leader of the Motherland Party. Ecevit became the deputy prime minister.
...
Wikipedia