Socialist Democracy Party

Socialist Democracy Party (Sosyalist Demokrasi Partisi, SDP) is a socialist party in Turkey. Most of its members were formerly in an opposition grouping within ÖDP,[1] named Sosyalist Eylem Platformu (Socialist Action Platform). They defended closer ties with pro-Kurdish DEHAP and radical left and campaigned against privatisation and European Union membership. Their views were seen "too conservative" by most ÖDP affiliates and they left the party in 2001.

Socialist Democracy Party Sosyalist Demokrasi Partisi
Leader	Rıdvan Turan
Founded	2002 (2002)
Headquarters	Ankara, Turkey
Ideology	Democratic socialism
Political position	Left-wing
National affiliation	Peoples' Democratic Congress
Colours	Red
Website
sosyalistdemokrasipartisi.org
Politics of Turkey Political parties Elections

The SDP was founded on the 28 August 2002.[2] It did not contest elections of 2002 and 2004, but supported left-wing electoral alliances. In the summer of 2005, it announced a Sosyalist Forum for negotiations of a broader unification, which proved to be futile. At 2007 elections, it declared support for the independent candidates of Democratic Society Party. Akın Birdal, who was elected to the Parliament in 2007,[3] is the honorary chairman of SDP.

Following a major internal dispute, a number of founding members, including Mihri Belli, a prestigious name of the Turkish left, resigned in 2008. In 2009, Filiz Koçali, serving as the only female party chairperson of Turkey since 2004, resigned.[4]

The party was one of the participants of the People's Democratic Congress, a political initiative instrumental in founding the Peoples' Democratic Party in 2012.[5]