Peace and Democracy Party (Turkey)

Peace and Democracy Party
Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi
Partiya Aştî û Demokrasiyê
Leader Pervin Buldan
İdris Baluken (co-chair)
Founded 3 May 2008
Dissolved 11 July 2014
Preceded by Democratic Society Party
Succeeded by Peoples' Democratic Party
Democratic Regions Party
Headquarters Ankara, Turkey
Ideology Kurdish minority rights[1]
Emancipation of women[1]
Kurdish nationalism[2]
Political position Centre-left to Left-wing
European affiliation Party of European Socialists (observer)
International affiliation Socialist International (consultative)

The Peace and Democracy Party (Turkish: Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi, Kurdish: Partiya Aştî û Demokrasiyê‎, BDP) was a Kurdish political party in Turkey existing from 2008 to 2014.

Development

BDP succeeded the Democratic Society Party (DTP) in 2008, following the closure of the latter party for its alleged connections with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The BDP is co-chaired by Selahattin Demirtaş and Gültan Kışanak. One-third of its representatives are Alevi.[3]

The Deputy Chairs are Pervin Buldan and İdris Baluken.[4]

After municipal elections on 30 March 2014, Berivan Elif Kilic became the co-mayor of Kocakoy, a farming town of 17,000 people in Turkey’s Kurdish region. Kilic shares the post of mayor with her male running mate, Affullah Kar, a former imam. Under BDP party rules, all top positions are split between a man and a woman, in an effort to promote women’s participation in politics.[5]

Ideology

The party chairman has called for the PKK to disarm.[6] The BDP has observer status in the Socialist International.[7] BDP supports Turkey's membership in the European Union,[8] same-sex marriages in Turkey,[9] an anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT people[8] and also wants the Government of Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.[10]

Peoples' Democratic Party

Pro-minority rights and feminist Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) acted as the fraternal party to BDP. At the 2014 municipal elections, HDP ran parallel to BDP, with the BDP running in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast while the HDP competed in the rest of the country[11] except Mersin Province and Konya Province where BDP launched its own candidates.[12]

After the local elections, the two parties were re-organised in a joint structure. On 28 April 2014, the entire parliamentary caucus of BDP joined HDP, whereas BDP was assigned exclusively to representatives on the local administration level.[13][14]

Reorganisation

At the 3rd Congress of the party on 11 July 2014, the name was changed to the Democratic Regions Party and a new structure restricting the activities on the local/regional government level was adopted.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Our Office". Peace and Democracy Party – US Representative Office. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  2. ↑ The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is the current incarnation of the Kurdish nationalist party in Turkey, Andrew Finkel, Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford University Press, 2012, s. 122.
  3. ↑ http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-312698-alevi-kurds-problem.html Alevi Kurds' problem, todayszaman.com
  4. ↑ "Pro-Kurdish deputies pay 12th visit to jailed PKK leader". Sunday's Zaman. 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
  5. ↑ From Child Bride to Mayor
  6. ↑ BDP chairman calls on PKK to lay down arms
  7. ↑ "Member Parties of the Socialist International". Socialist International.
  8. 1 2 "About Peace and Democracy Party". BDP. BDP. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "BDP'nin eşcinsel evlilik isteği tartışılıyor". Haber 10 (in Turkish). 15 May 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "BDP urges Turkey to offer apology to Armenians". Hurriyet Daily News. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Cengiz, Orhan Kemal (31 October 2013). "New Kurdish Party Could Impact Local Turkish Elections". Sibel Utku Bila (trans.). Al-Monitor. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  12. ↑ ADAYLARIMIZ, BDP official website
  13. ↑ "BDP milletvekilleri HDP'ye katıldı". Al-Monitor. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  14. ↑ BDP artık Meclis'te yok
  15. ↑ "BDP'nin adı Demokratik Bölgeler Partisi oldu". Evrensel. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2015.


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