Freedom and Solidarity Party
Encyclopedia
Freedom and Solidarity Party (Turkish
Özgürlük ve Dayanışma Partisi (ÖDP)) is a left-wing party in Turkey
. The party has had limited electoral success, although it controls a number of town halls and is influential in some unions of public employees. It is one of the few political parties in the world to explicitly espouse the political ideology of libertarian socialism
.
, its first major electoral outing, the party polled 0.8% of the vote, falling far behind the 10% threshold required for parliamentary representation. A deep internal crisis followed and by 2001, several of the initial groupings left. In 2002 elections, the party saw its votes further diminished to 0.3% of the national vote.
In the 2004 local elections, the ÖDP gained control of two town halls in Artvin
and Yozgat
provinces. In these elections, the ÖDP had joined an electoral coalition with the pro-Kurdish DEHAP
and the left Social Democrat SHP (Sosyaldemokrat Halk Partisi). At the next 2009 local elections, Mithat Nehir was the sole victorious ÖDP candidate in the entire republic (17,723 votes for the whole country, i.e. 0.04 %), and became mayor of the Samandağ
district.
Ufuk Uras
, who was then the president of the party was elected to the parliament from the independents' ticket, during the 2007 general election
. The party's formal lists, which hadn't fielded candidates in several key constituencies in support of the left-wing candidates standing on the independents' ticket, polled 0.15% in that poll.
In the 6th congress held on June 20, 2009, the delegates elected Alper Taş as the new leader, solely nominated as the chairmanship. Apart from the discussions on some political headlines, Party Assembly consisting of sixty people was also assigned. In this congress, the signals that the party will have a more anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist route were given.
Former chairman Ufuk Uras resigned from ÖDP on June 19, 2009, one day before the congress. During a press conference at Parliament , Uras said, “We are resigning together with the Freedom Left, who have worked in the founding of the party and held various positions at different times in the ÖDP -- from provincial and district branch administration to membership in the party council, central steering and discipline committees -- where we have been struggling since its founding for a historic meeting that overrides the existing structures.”
and since 2007 a full member of the Party of the European Left
.
(Revolutionary Path) - also known as Dev-Yol) which was formed following the split of Libertarian Socialism Platform in 2007. Other minor groups are New Way
(USFI member), Liberation Movement (joined Socialist Democracy Party
in 2002), Odak that links to THKP-C/Third Way (joined Socialist Democracy Party
in 2002), Socialist Labor Movement. Libertarian Left Platform, the tendency that was supportive of Ufuk Uras left the party with Uras in June 2009.
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
Özgürlük ve Dayanışma Partisi (ÖDP)) is a left-wing party in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The party has had limited electoral success, although it controls a number of town halls and is influential in some unions of public employees. It is one of the few political parties in the world to explicitly espouse the political ideology of libertarian socialism
Libertarian socialism
Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
.
History
Founded in 1996 as a merger of several left-wing groupings. In 1999 general electionTurkish general election, 1999
Turkey's 14th general election was held on Sunday April 18, 1999 and was the first election in Turkish history to combine local, council and parliamentary elections on the same day. Bülent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party , soaring in popularity after the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan,...
, its first major electoral outing, the party polled 0.8% of the vote, falling far behind the 10% threshold required for parliamentary representation. A deep internal crisis followed and by 2001, several of the initial groupings left. In 2002 elections, the party saw its votes further diminished to 0.3% of the national vote.
In the 2004 local elections, the ÖDP gained control of two town halls in Artvin
Artvin Province
Artvin Province is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia.The provincial capital is the city of Artvin.-Geography:...
and Yozgat
Yozgat Province
Yozgat Province is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Çorum to the northwest, Kırıkkale to the west, Kırşehir to the southwest, Nevşehir to the south, Kayseri to the southeast, Sivas to the east, Tokat to the northeast, and Amasya to the north...
provinces. In these elections, the ÖDP had joined an electoral coalition with the pro-Kurdish DEHAP
Democratic People's Party (Turkey)
Democratic People's Party was a Kurdish nationalist political party in Turkey. DEHAP was founded 24 October 1997. It was the continuation of the People's Democracy Party , which was banned in March 2003 by the Constitutional Court on the grounds that it supported the Kurdistan Workers Party.At its...
and the left Social Democrat SHP (Sosyaldemokrat Halk Partisi). At the next 2009 local elections, Mithat Nehir was the sole victorious ÖDP candidate in the entire republic (17,723 votes for the whole country, i.e. 0.04 %), and became mayor of the Samandağ
Samandag
Seleucia Pieria was a town in antiquity, the capital of Seleucus I Nicator, in Syria Prima. It was the port of the western Seleucid capital of Antioch, lying close to the mouth of the Orontes. Its ruins lie at the seaside village of Çevliknear the town of Samandağ in the Hatay Province of Turkey...
district.
Ufuk Uras
Ufuk Uras
Mehmet Ufuk Uras is a Turkish libertarian socialist politician and economist who became the first socialist candidate elected to the Turkish parliament since 1960s in 2007...
, who was then the president of the party was elected to the parliament from the independents' ticket, during the 2007 general election
Turkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
. The party's formal lists, which hadn't fielded candidates in several key constituencies in support of the left-wing candidates standing on the independents' ticket, polled 0.15% in that poll.
In the 6th congress held on June 20, 2009, the delegates elected Alper Taş as the new leader, solely nominated as the chairmanship. Apart from the discussions on some political headlines, Party Assembly consisting of sixty people was also assigned. In this congress, the signals that the party will have a more anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist route were given.
Former chairman Ufuk Uras resigned from ÖDP on June 19, 2009, one day before the congress. During a press conference at Parliament , Uras said, “We are resigning together with the Freedom Left, who have worked in the founding of the party and held various positions at different times in the ÖDP -- from provincial and district branch administration to membership in the party council, central steering and discipline committees -- where we have been struggling since its founding for a historic meeting that overrides the existing structures.”
Ideology and affiliation
In its program, ÖDP calls itself as a "carrier of the universal and historical longing" for "an equal, free, exploitation-less and class-less world." It aims to "end the power of the forces of capital and imperialism" and "set up the power of the labor forces", "towards a libertarian, self-rule-based, internationalist, pro-democratic-planning, ecologist, anti-militarist and feminist socialism." The party is member of the European Anticapitalist LeftEuropean Anticapitalist Left
The European Anticapitalist Left is an informal network for European anticapitalist left wing parties. EACL met for the first time in Lisbon in March 2000 with the representation of the Scottish Socialist Party, the Portuguese Left Bloc, the Danish Red-Green Alliance, the French LCR, and the...
and since 2007 a full member of the Party of the European Left
Party of the European Left
The Party of the European Left, commonly abbreviated to just the European Left, is a political party at European level and an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of...
.
Tendencies
The prominent grouping within the party is Revolutionary Solidarity (former Devrimci YolDevrimci Yol
Devrimci Yol was a movement rather than a tightly structured organization, with many supporters in trade unions and other professional institutions. Its ideology was based on Marxism-Leninism but rejected both the Soviet and the Chinese model. Devrimci Yol entered the political scene in Turkey on...
(Revolutionary Path) - also known as Dev-Yol) which was formed following the split of Libertarian Socialism Platform in 2007. Other minor groups are New Way
New Way (Turkey)
Yeni Yol is the Turkish section of the reunified Fourth International.http://www.sdyeniyol.org/Yeni Yol is active within Freedom and Solidarity Party ÖDP....
(USFI member), Liberation Movement (joined Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party is a left-socialist party in Turkey. Most of its members were formerly in an opposition grouping within ÖDP, named Sosyalist Eylem Platformu . They defended closer ties with pro-Kurdish DEHAP and radical left and campaigned against privatisation and European Union...
in 2002), Odak that links to THKP-C/Third Way (joined Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party is a left-socialist party in Turkey. Most of its members were formerly in an opposition grouping within ÖDP, named Sosyalist Eylem Platformu . They defended closer ties with pro-Kurdish DEHAP and radical left and campaigned against privatisation and European Union...
in 2002), Socialist Labor Movement. Libertarian Left Platform, the tendency that was supportive of Ufuk Uras left the party with Uras in June 2009.
Election results
- General Elections
| Year | Votes | Vote percentage |
| 1999 Turkish general election, 1999 Turkey's 14th general election was held on Sunday April 18, 1999 and was the first election in Turkish history to combine local, council and parliamentary elections on the same day. Bülent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party , soaring in popularity after the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan,... |
248,553 | % 0.80 |
| 2002 Turkish general election, 2002 Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. It was won by the Justice and Development Party , led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote... |
105,862 | % 0.34 |
| 2007 Turkish general election, 2007 Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party... |
52,195 | % 0.15 |
- Local Elections
| Year | Votes | Vote percentage |
| 1999 Turkish local elections, 1999 -Results:-Mayor of metropolitan municipality:-External links:*... |
263,814 | % 0.84 |
| 2004 Turkish local elections, 2004 On March 28, 2004, Turks voted in nationwide municipal elections for the mayors of more than 3,000 cities and towns, as well as administrative council members for all eighty-one Turkish provinces.... |
12,026 | % 0.04 |
| 2009 Turkish local elections, 2009 Turkey held local elections on 29 March 2009. The overal winner was the ruling party Justice and Development Party, although the party saw a decline in its vote relative to the 2007 general election... |
62,909 | % 0.15 |