Turkey is a presidential republic with a multi-party system. Major parties are defined as political parties that received more than 7% of the votes in the latest general election and/or represented in parliament. Minor parties are defined as political parties that have fulfilled the requirements of the Supreme Election Council (Yüksek Seçim Kurulu in Turkish, abbreviated as YSK) and don't have any representatives in the parliament. Forming a political party without prior permission is a constitutional right, but the Interior Ministry may delay registering a new party for years, so the party cannot stand in elections.
If the ID and serial number of a person's Turkish identity card is known, anyone can query their political party membership via the website of the General Prosecution Office of the Supreme Court of Appeal or mobile phone messages.
Political parties represented in the Turkish Parliament
General information about the parties holding seats in the Grand National Assembly as of June 2023:
Party Leader Position Ideology AK PARTİ Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Right-wing YENİ PARTİNew PartyÖzgür ÖzelCentre-left DEM PARTİ Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party Centre-leftto left-wing MHP Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahçeli Far-right CHPRepublican People's PartyKemal KılıçdaroğluCentre-left İYİ PARTİ Good Party Müsavat Dervişoğlu Centre-rightto right-wing DEVA PARTİSİ Democracy and Progress Party Ali Babacan SAADET Felicity Party Mahmut Arıkan Right-wing HÜDA PAR Free Cause Party Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu Far-right YENİDEN REFAH New Welfare Party Fatih Erbakan Far-right TİP Workers' Party of Turkey Erkan Baş Left-wingto far-left DBPDemocratic Regions Party EMEP Labour Party Seyit Aslan Far-left DP Democrat Party Gültekin Uysal Centre-right DSP Democratic Left Party Önder Aksakal Centre-left
Other political parties Other parties eligible to contest in elections (by March 2023) Party Leader Position Ideology AB PARTİ Adalet Birlik Partisi İrfan Uzun Centre-left EnvironmentalismKemalismSecularismTurkish nationalism AP Justice PartyAdalet Partisi Vecdet Öz Centre-right Liberal conservatismKemalism ANAP Motherland PartyAnavatan Partisi İbrahim Çelebi Centre-right Liberal conservatism BTP Independent Turkey PartyBağımsız Türkiye Partisi Hüseyin Baş Radical centre Civic nationalismKemalism BBP Great Unity PartyBüyük Birlik Partisi Mustafa Destici Far-right Turkish Islamonationalism GELECEKPARTİSİ Future PartyGelecek Partisi Ahmet Davutoğlu Centre-rightto right-wing ConservatismPro-Europeanism GENÇPARTİ Young PartyGenç Parti Burçin Şahindur HAK-PAR Rights and Freedoms PartyHak ve Özgürlükler Partisi Düzgün Kaplan Kurdish nationalismFederalism HKP People's Liberation PartyHalkın Kurtuluş Partisi Nurullah Ankut Far-left CommunismLeft-wing nationalism MEMLEKET Homeland Party Memleket Partisi Muharrem İnce Centre KemalismPro-Europeanism MİLLET Nation PartyMillet Partisi Cuma Nacar Right-wing MYP National Path PartyMilli Yol Partisi Remzi Çayır Far-right Turkish-Islamic nationalismSocial conservatism SOL PARTİ Left PartySOL Parti Önder İşleyen Left-wingto far-left SocialismLeft-wing populism TKH Communist Movement of TurkeyTürkiye Komünist Hareketi Aysel Tekerek Far-left CommunismMarxism–Leninism TKP Communist Party of TurkeyTürkiye Komünist Partisi Kemal Okuyan Far-left CommunismMarxism–Leninism VATANPARTİSİ Patriotic PartyVatan Partisi Doğu Perinçek Far-left UlusalismEurasianism YTP New Turkey PartyYeni Türkiye Partisi Engin Yılmaz Right-wing Social conservatismRight-wing populism ZAFERPARTİSİ Victory PartyZafer Partisi Ümit Özdağ Far-right UltranationalismAnti-immigration A PARTİ Key PartyAnahtar Parti Yavuz Ağıralioğlu Right-wingto far-right National conservatismTurkish nationalism
General information on other political parties registered in the Ministry of Interior:
Party Name Turkish nameLeader(s)PositionIdeology Date of foundation TSİP Socialist Workers' Party of Turkey Türkiye Sosyalist İşçi Partisi Turgut Koçak Far-left Communism, Anti-revisionism 1993 LDP Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Demokrat Parti Gültekin Tırpancı Centre Classical liberalism 1994 DSİP Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party Devrimci Sosyalist İşçi Partisi Tuna Emren, Şenol Karakaş Far-left Trotskyism 1997 YURT-P Homeland Party Yurt Partisi Sadettin Tantan Centre-right Conservatism 2002 DYP True Path Party Doğru Yol Partisi Cenk Küpeli Centre-right Liberal conservatism 2007 DİP Revolutionary Workers' Party Devrimci İşçi Partisi Ömer Sungur Savran Far-left Trotskyism 2007 ULUSAL National Party Ulusal Parti Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu Far-left Nationalism 2010 1920 TKP Socialist Liberation Party Toplumcu Kurtuluş Partisi İsmail Kaplan Far-left Communism, Marxism–Leninism 2012 YSP Green Left Party Yeşil Sol Parti Eylem Tuncaelli, Naci Sönmez Left-wing Green politics 2012 TURAN Turan Movement Party Turan Hareketi Partisi Varol Esen Far-right Nationalism, Turanism 2014 MMP National Struggle Party Milli Mücadele Partisi Ahmet Kaya NationalismKemalism 2014 KP Women's Party Kadın Partisi Fatma Benal Yazgan Feminism 2014 MEP Centre Party Merkez Parti Pelin Gündeş Bakır Centre to centre-right Liberal 2014 DEZA-PAR Democracy Time Party Demokrasi Zamanı Partisi İlhami Çağrıtekin Zaza nationalism 2016 OSMANLI Ottoman Party Osmanlı Partisi Habip Geleş Far-right Neo-OttomanismTurkish nationalism 2016 ÖTÜKEN Otuken Union Party Ötüken Birliği Partisi Çağatay Korkut Körüklü Far-right Nationalism, Pan-Turkism 2017 HÜRRİYET Liberty Party Hürriyet Partisi Ali Gül Centre Liberalism, Egalitarianism, Anti-corruption 2025
Former
Inactive parties The following parties are inactive, and they are not listed in the active political parties list by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Party Name Turkish nameIdeologyPosition Democracy Party of Turkey & Kurdistan Türkiye Kürdistan Demokrasi Partisi T-KDP Kurdish nationalism Big tent Alternative and Change Party Alternatif ve Değişim Partisi AL PARTİ Conservative Right-wing Nation and Justice Party Millet ve Adalet Partisi MİLAD People's Ascent Party Halkın Yükselişi Partisi HYP Social democracy Centre-left Turkey's Change Movement Türkiye Değişim Hareketi TDH Social democracy Centre-left Social Reconciliation Reform and Development Party Toplumsal Uzlaşma Reform ve Kalkınma Partisi TURK-P Nationalism Independent Republican Party Bağımsız Cumhuriyet Partisi BCP Nationalism Electronic Democracy Party Elektronik Demokrasi Partisi e-Parti Liberal Single-issue
Defunct and historical parties
These are some of the parties that were dismantled because of their internal dynamics, mergers, inability to find electoral base or through governmental intervention, for instance following the Turkish coups d'état. Defunct and historical partiesParty NamePositionNotesAlternative Party (Alternatif Parti)Right-wingConservative Peoples' Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi) Centre-left to left-wing dissolved in 2023Participatory Democracy Party (Katılımcı Demokrasi Partisi)Centre-leftdissolved in 2019Anatolia Party (Anadolu Partisi)Centre-leftdissolved in 2015Democratic Left People's Party (Demokratik Sol Halk Partisi)Centre-leftdissolved in 2010New Turkey Party (2002) (Yeni Türkiye Partisi)Centre-leftjoined CHP in 2004Social Democracy Party (SODEP) (Sosyal Demokrat Parti)Centre-leftmerged with People's Party to form Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) in 1985People's Party (Halkçı Parti)merged with SODEP to form Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) in 1985Social Democratic Populist Party (Sosyaldemokrat Halkçı Parti)Centre-leftmerged with CHP in 1995Socialist Democracy Party (Sosyalist Demokrasi Partisi)Left-wingmerged to Peoples' Democratic Party in 2015People's Communist Party of Turkey (Halkın Türkiye Komünist Partisi)Far-leftdissolved in 2017Republican Villagers Nation Party (Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi)Nationalistmerger of two parties, replaced by MHP in 1969Nationalist Task Party (Milliyetçi Çalışma Partisi)Nationalistreplaced by MHP in 1992Nationalist Democracy Party (Milliyetçi Demokrasi Partisi)Nationalistdissolved 1986Rights and Equality Party (Hak ve Eşitlik Partisi)Nationalist, Populistdissolved 2019Greens of Turkey (Yeşiller Partisi)Green politicsmerged with EDP to form Greens and the Left Party of the Future (Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi) in 2012.Equality and Democracy Party (Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi)Green politicsmerged with the Greens to form Greens and the Left Party of the Future (Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi) in 2012.Justice Party (Adalet Partisi)Conservative, right-wingclosed on 12 September 1980Communist Party (Komünist Parti)Far-leftMember of United June Movement, Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties and International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. Founded in 2014, Dissolved in 2017Democrat Party (Demokrat Parti)Centre-right1946-1961Nation Party (Millet Partisi)Right-wing1948–1953 and 1962–1977New Party (Yeni Parti)dissolved 2012Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti)Centre-right1970-1980Democratic Center Party (Demokratik Merkez Partisi)Right-wingmerged into DYP on September 14, 1991True Path Party (Doğru Yol Partisi)Centre-rightmerged with Motherland Party into Democrat Party (Turkey, 2007) in 2007New Turkey Party (1961) (Yeni Türkiye Partisi)Right-wingjoined to Justice Party in 1973People's Voice Party (Halkın Sesi Partisi)Right-wingdissolved in 2012Turkey Party (Türkiye Partisi)Centre-rightdissolved in 2012Liberal Republican Party (Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası)Centre-right, Liberaldissolved itself in 1930Liberty Party (Hürriyet Partisi)Liberaljoined CHP in 1958National Salvation Party (Milli Selâmet Partisi)Sunni Islamistclosed on 12 September 1980National Development Party (Milli Kalkınma Partisi)Sunni Islamist
Banned parties
These are some of the parties that were banned through extraordinary courts or the Constitutional Court of Turkey.
Banned partiesParty NamePositionNotesFatherland Party (Vatan Partisi)Left-wingbanned in 1954Workers Party of Turkey (Türkiye İşçi Partisi)Far-leftbanned in 1971, represented in the national senate in early 1960s. (1961–1987) eventually merged with the Communist Party of Turkey in 1987.United Communist Party of Turkey (Türkiye Birleşik Komünist Partisi)Far-leftbanned in 1991; ban found contrary to Article 11 (freedom of association) of the European Convention on Human Rights, 1998 (1987–1991)Labour Party (Emek Partisi)Far-leftban found contrary to Article 11 (freedom of association) of the European Convention on Human Rights, 2005, and re-establishedProgressive Republican Party (Terakkiperver Cumhuriyet Fırkası)Conservativebanned on 3 June 1925 (1924–1925)National Order Party (Milli Nizam Partisi)Sunni Islamistbanned on 20 May 1971 (1970–1971)Welfare Party (Refah Partisi)Sunni Islamistbanned on 16 January 1998; (1983-1998) ban upheld by European Convention on Human Rights 2003Virtue Party (Fazilet Partisi)Sunni Islamistbanned on 22 June 2001; (1998-2001) ECHR case withdrawn by applicant 2005People's Labor Party (Halkın Emek Partisi)Kurdish nationalistbanned in July 1993 (1990-1993)Democracy Party (Demokrasi Partisi)Kurdish nationalistbanned on 16 June 1994; found contrary to Article 11 (freedom of association) of the European Convention on Human Rights, 2002 (1993-1994)People’s Democracy Party (Halkın Demokrasi Partisi)Kurdish nationalistbanned on 13 March 2003; found contrary to Article 11 (freedom of association) of the European Convention on Human Rights, 2010 (1994-2003)Democratic Society Party (Demokratik Toplum Partisi)Kurdish nationalistbanned on 11 December 2009; ECHR case ongoing (2005-2009)Great Turkey Party (Büyük Türkiye Partisi)Turkish nationalistbanned in 1983
Political traditions
Tradition Main parties Refs Republican People's Party (1922–1981) tradition Populist Party (1983–1985) Social Democracy Party (1983–1985) Social Democratic Populist Party (1985–1992) Democratic Left Party (1985–present) Republican People's Party (1992–present)