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Democrat Party (Turkey, current)
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <h3>Background</h3> <p>The DYP's predecessor was the <a href="/facts/Democrat_Party_(Turkey%2c_1946%25E2%2580%25931960)/q2qvvwcF">Democrat Party</a> (<a href="/facts/Turkish_language/C5X56Ijp">Turkish</a>: <i>Demokrat Parti</i>, DP), which was a conservative party responsible for relaxing Turkey's strict secularism laws. The party was suppressed in the <a href="/facts/1960_Turkish_coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/eRoBdBN6">1960 military coup d'état</a> and later reestablished as the <a href="/facts/Justice_Party_(Turkey)/9FrhvRTh">Justice Party (Adalet Partisi, AP)</a>, which was disbanded in the <a href="/facts/1980_Turkish_coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/h1XJohFc">coup of 1980</a>. </p><p>Both parties staunchly rivaled the social democratic <a href="/facts/Republican_People%2527s_Party/A2wGBefn">Republican People's Party</a> (CHP). The military overthrew their governments on several occasions: In 1960, the <a href="/facts/Adnan_Menderes/rCwsjs0p">Adnan Menderes</a> government was deposed and Menderes himself was executed; on March 26, 1971, the government of party veteran Demirel was <a href="/facts/1971_Turkish_coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/Tcx5snrl">threatened with military intervention</a> and forced to resign; and on September 12, 1980, the military carried out a full-scale <a href="/facts/1980_Turkish_coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/h1XJohFc">coup</a>, suppressing all political parties, including Demirel's AP.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> <h3>Early history (1983–1991)</h3> <p>In 1983, Demirel created the True Path Party (<a href="/facts/Turkish_language/C5X56Ijp">Turkish</a>: <i>Doğru Yol Partisi</i>, DYP), the successor of the AP – still conservative, but now with a secular-leaning policy instead of a religious-leaning one. Even so, the military and conservative governments banned the new party, and the DYP was declared illegal and its members were persecuted. Finally, in 1987, the party was legalized, and entered Turkish politics for the first time. It was hugely successful. </p> <h3>DYP in government (1991–1997)</h3> <p>In the <a href="/facts/1991_Turkish_general_election/2gXJfk2x">1991 general elections</a>, the DYP defeated the Motherland Party (<a href="/facts/Turkish_language/C5X56Ijp">Turkish</a>: <i>Anavatan Partisi</i>, ANAP) and the <a href="/facts/Social_Democratic_Populist_Party_(Turkey)/hn2b6e6T">Social Democratic Populist Party</a> (SHP), forming a coalition government with the SHP. Süleyman Demirel became Prime Minister once again. After Demirel was elected Turkey's 9th <a href="/facts/President_of_Turkey/5e9wknud">President</a>, following the death of <a href="/facts/Turgut_%25C3%2596zal/5A1B5JrM">Turgut Özal</a>, the party leadership was taken over by <a href="/facts/Tansu_%25C3%2587iller/jfxz47X7">Tansu Çiller</a>, who became the country's first woman Prime Minister.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>In 1995, the coalition with the SHP, now merged with the <a href="/facts/Republican_People%2527s_Party/A2wGBefn">Republican People's Party</a> (CHP), collapsed. After the <a href="/facts/1995_Turkish_general_election/8s15Qb6v">December 1995 elections</a>, the weakened DYP formed first a coalition with ANAP, led by <a href="/facts/Mesut_Y%25C4%25B1lmaz/5djyIede">Mesut Yılmaz</a>. Then, in June 1996, the DYP switched allegiances to form Turkey's first Islamist government with the <a href="/facts/Welfare_Party/turCUAt7">Welfare Party</a>'s leader <a href="/facts/Necmettin_Erbakan/zay4cILc">Necmettin Erbakan</a>. </p> <h3>DYP in opposition (1999–2007)</h3> <p>In 1997, with the so-called <a href="/facts/1997_military_memorandum_(Turkey)/y1h9ub8u">"post-modern coup"</a>, the military effected the RP-DYP government's resignation. In the meantime, the DYP had been weakened by the effects of the <a href="/facts/Susurluk_scandal/rDl5TTt4">Susurluk scandal</a>. DYP and others expected to form a government under Çiller, but President <a href="/facts/S%25C3%25BCleyman_Demirel/zK34HFd8">Süleyman Demirel</a> asked ANAP leader <a href="/facts/Mesut_Y%25C4%25B1lmaz/5djyIede">Mesut Yılmaz</a> to form the new government instead, and the DYP was not included. </p><p>In 1998, the DYP took a turn for the worse. The DYP then had heavy recruitment among police intelligence.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>The DYP secured 9.55% of the vote in the <a href="/facts/2002_Turkish_general_election/7SktIIQU">November 2002 general election</a>, slightly under the 10% <a href="/facts/Election_threshold/fkhtbpgd">election threshold</a> to enter parliament. However, a number of independents later joined the party, and, in November 2004, they had 4 seats in Turkey's 549-seat parliament. The figure hardly made the DYP a driving force in Turkish politics, but it remained Turkey's third largest party and particularly influential in rural areas. </p><p>Tansu Çiller resigned as party leader following the 2002 election defeat; she was eventually replaced by <a href="/facts/Mehmet_A%25C4%259Far/UeJxXRWt">Mehmet Ağar</a>. </p> <h3>Democrat Party (2007–present)</h3> <p>On 5 May 2007, it was announced that DYP and the <a href="/facts/Motherland_Party_(Turkey)/yBl4TYoo">Motherland Party</a> (ANAP) would merge to form the Democrat Party (<a href="/facts/Turkish_language/C5X56Ijp">Turkish</a>: <i>Demokrat Parti</i>). For that occasion, DYP renamed itself (based on the <a href="/facts/Democrat_Party_(Turkey%2c_1946%25E2%2580%25931961)/q2qvvwcF">previous party of the same name</a>), and it was planned that ANAP would join the newly founded DP. Shortly before the election, however, the merging attempt failed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> However, ANAP stated it would not contest the upcoming elections. </p><p>After the DP only got about 6% of the votes in the <a href="/facts/2007_Turkish_general_election/BumV4Qmc">2007 election</a>, Ağar resigned as party leader.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> At the 10th party congress held on January 15, 2011, in Ankara, <a href="/facts/Nam%25C4%25B1k_Kemal_Zeybek/NPMMBlFD">Namık Kemal Zeybek</a> was elected as the party leader.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> After Zeybek's resignation, <a href="/facts/G%25C3%25BCltekin_Uysal/dkfUTPs3">Gültekin Uysal</a> has become the party leader. </p><p>In the 2018 elections, the party participated in the <a href="/facts/Nation_Alliance_(Turkey)/b47wB9d6">Nation Alliance</a> with the <a href="/facts/Republican_People%2527s_Party/A2wGBefn">Republican People's Party</a>, the <a href="/facts/Good_Party/n6HxHMT5">Good Party</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Felicity_Party/kWC2W6qP">Felicity Party</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="election-results">Election results</h2> <h3>Parliamentary elections</h3> <a href="/facts/Grand_National_Assembly_of_Turkey/XMmKP5qd">Grand National Assembly of Turkey</a><table><tbody><tr><th rowspan="2">Year</th><th rowspan="2">Leader</th><th colspan="2">Seats</th><th rowspan="2">Position</th></tr><tr><th>Seats</th><th>+/-</th></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/2007_Turkish_general_election/BumV4Qmc">2007</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Mehmet_A%25C4%259Far/UeJxXRWt">Mehmet Ağar</a></td><td>0 / 550</td><td></td><td>Extra-parliamentary</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/2011_Turkish_general_election/9F8bXBuT">2011</a></th><td><a href="/facts/S%25C3%25BCleyman_Soylu/gpzGMJad">Süleyman Soylu</a></td><td>0 / 550</td><td></td><td>Extra-parliamentary</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/June_2015_Turkish_general_election/R4WQSY7P">June 2015</a></th><td><a href="/facts/G%25C3%25BCltekin_Uysal/dkfUTPs3">Gültekin Uysal</a></td><td>0 / 550</td><td></td><td>Extra-parliamentary</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/November_2015_Turkish_general_election/hJxkvcGy">November 2015</a></th><td><a href="/facts/G%25C3%25BCltekin_Uysal/dkfUTPs3">Gültekin Uysal</a></td><td>0 / 550</td><td></td><td>Extra-parliamentary</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/2018_Turkish_parliamentary_election/37FD3zfr">2018</a></th><td><a href="/facts/G%25C3%25BCltekin_Uysal/dkfUTPs3">Gültekin Uysal</a></td><td>1 / 600</td><td> 1</td><td>Opposition</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/2023_Turkish_parliamentary_election/lgzLpkve">2023</a></th><td><a href="/facts/G%25C3%25BCltekin_Uysal/dkfUTPs3">Gültekin Uysal</a></td><td>3 / 600</td><td> 2</td><td>Opposition</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Politics_of_Turkey/AoEmKnma">Politics of Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_political_parties_in_Turkey/oSFCqmLD">List of political parties in Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Great_Turkey_Party/jjog1Y3T">Great Turkey Party</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.dp.org.tr/">Democratic Party – official website</a> (in Turkish)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Nordsieck, Wolfram (2009). "Turkey". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2019. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100429101001/http://www.parties-and-elections.de/turkey.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20100429101001/http://www.parties-and-elections.de/turkey.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"DP'den Akşener kararı". 3 May 2018. <a href="http://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/dpden-aksener-karari-191415h.htm" target="_blank">http://www.yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/dpden-aksener-karari-191415h.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"DYP-ANAP Ayrıldı" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-11. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161516/http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/news.php?id=15110" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161516/http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/news.php?id=15110</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"People's Daily Online - Turkish DP leader resigns". english.people.com.cn. <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6221609.html" target="_blank">http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6221609.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Kaplan, Sam (2006). The Pedagogical State. Stanford University Press. p. 172. ISBN 0-8047-5433-0. <a href="0-8047-5433-0" target="_blank">0-8047-5433-0</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"'Kırat'ın yeni genel başkanı Zeybek". CNN (in Turkish). 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2019-07-11. <a href="https://www.cnnturk.com/2011/turkiye/01/15/kiratin.yeni.genel.baskani.zeybek/603346.0/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cnnturk.com/2011/turkiye/01/15/kiratin.yeni.genel.baskani.zeybek/603346.0/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Turkey -Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti, DP) / True Path Party(Dogru Yol Partisi--DYP)". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved Oct 12, 2019. <a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/tu-political-party-dyp.htm" target="_blank">https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/tu-political-party-dyp.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Akpinar, Hakan (1999-02-03). "DYP'de istihbaratçı savaşı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2009-01-04. <a href="http://webarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/1999/02/03/94269.asp" target="_blank">http://webarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/1999/02/03/94269.asp</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"DYP-ANAP Ayrıldı" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-11. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161516/http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/news.php?id=15110" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161516/http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/news.php?id=15110</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"People's Daily Online - Turkish DP leader resigns". english.people.com.cn. <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6221609.html" target="_blank">http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6221609.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Demokrat Parti'nin 10. Olağan Büyük Kongresi Yapıldı-Namık Kemal Zeybek, DP Genel Başkanlığı'na seçildi" (in Turkish). Demokrat Parti. Retrieved 2011-01-18. <a href="http://www.dyp.org.tr/" target="_blank">http://www.dyp.org.tr/</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Genel Başkanımız, Bursa'da düzenlenen basın toplantısında gündemi değerlendirdi" (in Turkish). Demokrat Parti. 2 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018. <a href="http://www.dp.org.tr/Default.aspx?islem=haberDetay&modul=5&id=51779#.V3lpA7iLTIU" target="_blank">http://www.dp.org.tr/Default.aspx?islem=haberDetay&modul=5&id=51779#.V3lpA7iLTIU</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>