Workers' Party of Turkey (2017)

{{Main| Workers' Party of Turkey (1961)}}

The leaders of contemporary TİP claim that the party is a successor to the historical Workers' Party of Turkey, which was originally established by a small group of trade unionists in 1961, with the idea of sending workers' representatives to the Turkish Parliament. The first TİP organized and led by well-known Turkish Marxists such as its first chairman Mehmet Ali Aybar, ex-professors Behice Boran and Sadun Aren, and Mihri Belli not only introduced socialism in Turkish politics for the first time but also achieved electoral success in 1965 general elections by winning 15 MPs.{{Cite book|title=Radical Politics in Modern Turkey|last=Landau|first=Jacob M.|year=1974 |publisher=Brill|isbn=9004040161|language=en}}

However, the combination of ideological differences and personal rivalries within the party led to its failure in the 1969 elections, and eventually, the party was disbanded by a court order in 1972 following the military coup of 1971. After the general amnesty in 1974, the party was legally re-established by Behice Boran in 1975. This second TİP could not match the popularity of the first one, and was once again banned after the military coup in 1980.{{Cite book|title=The Army and the Radical Left in Turkey: Military Coups, Socialist Revolution and Kemalism|last=Ulus|first=Özgür Mutlu|date=2010-12-08|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9780857718808|pages=65|language=en}} Even though TİP was declared illegal by the military junta, it continued to operate secretly in exile. In 1987, it merged with the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), to form a single organization, the United Communist Party of Turkey (TBKP).{{cite journal|author=Liza M. Nell|date=2008|title=The Shadow of Homeland Politics: Understanding the Evolution of the Turkish Radical Left in the Netherlands|url=http://remi.revues.org/4572|journal=REMİ|volume=24|issue=2|access-date=3 February 2016}}

File:Erkan Baş, 2019 (cropped).jpg, the chairman and founder of TİP.]]The current TİP was reborn in 2017 out of a split in the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), which dates back three years earlier. After the Gezi Park protests in Turkey, in 2014, some organizational and ideological disagreements arose among the members of the Central Committee of the TKP. Several prominent members of the committee, including former party-president Erkan Baş and Metin Çulhaoğlu, left the party and established the People's Communist Party of Turkey (HTKP). A year later, the party also became one of the founders of the United June Movement (BHH), a political coalition of left-wing, communist, and socialist parties in Turkey.

However, HTKP faced internal strife in 2015 as a result of a dispute over the party's support for Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the upcoming general elections, leading to another split and the foundation of Communist Movement of Turkey (TKH), a faction strongly criticized such decision.{{cite news |title=HTKP'de ayrılık |url=https://www.evrensel.net/haber/257825/htkpde-ayrilik |newspaper=Evrensel |access-date=2023-01-22|language=Turkish}} In 2017, the remaining cadres under the leadership of Erkan Baş decided to rename the party as TİP, and laid claims to the historical legacy of former TİPs.

The declaration document laying out the foundation of the TİP has been signed by 146 people, including Erkan Baş, Barış Atay, Tuncay Çelen, Metin Çulhaoğlu, previous TİP and TKP members, various representatives from mass organizations and trade unions, workers, students, and academics.[https://web.archive.org/web/20180901055202/http://tip.org.tr/beyanname.pdf Beyanname]. Türkiye İşçi Partisi. (in Turkish).[https://web.archive.org/web/20190702162842/https://odatv.com/yeni-bir-sol-parti-kuruldu-23031852.html Yeni bir sol parti kuruldu]. Oda TV. (in Turkish). The party was officially founded on 7 November 2017.{{Cite web |last= |title=Siyasi Partiler (Türkiye İşçi Partisi) |url=https://www.yargitaycb.gov.tr/icerik/1342/turkiye-isci-partisi |website=TC Yargıtay Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı}} In 2018, the Constitutional Court of Turkey gave its approval for the party to use its name, as the party had previously been banned and outlawed in the 1970s.{{Cite web |title=AYM'den Türkiye İşçi Partisi hakkında karar |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/aymden-turkiye-isci-partisi-hakkinda-karar-1056666 |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=Cumhuriyet |date=16 August 2018 |language=tr}}

For the Turkish parliamentary election of 2018, the party decided to collaborate with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). This was primarily because the newly established TİP was ineligible to run candidates at that time due to the election law in Turkey. The electoral alliance allowed it to be represented in the Turkish parliament by two MPs who have been elected on HDP lists. The chairperson, Erkan Baş was elected from Istanbul's first electoral district whereas the deputy chairperson, Barış Atay, was elected from Hatay province.{{Cite web |last= |title=TİP 53 yıl sonra TBMM'de |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/tip-53-yil-sonra-tbmmde-40983154 |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=Hürriyet |date=10 October 2018 |language=tr}} Likewise, in the presidential election, the TİP endorsed the candidacy of Selahattin Demirtaş, the co-leader of HDP who had been imprisoned since 2016.{{Cite web |last= |title=Türkiye İşçi Partisi: Oyumuz Demirtaş'tan yana |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye-isci-partisi-oyumuz-demirtastan-yana-973223 |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Cumhuriyet |date=11 May 2018 |language=tr}}

In the following years, the TİP welcomed new MPs. First, Ahmet Şık, an investigative journalist and trade unionist, resigned from HDP and soon joined the party in April 2021.{{Cite web |last= |title=Independent MP Ahmet Şık joins Workers' Party of Turkey |url=https://m.bianet.org/english/politics/242708-independent-mp-ahmet-sik-joins-workers-party-of-turkey |access-date=23 January 2023 |website=Bianet |language=en}} Lastly, Republican People's Party's (CHP) İstanbul deputy and lawyer, Sera Kadıgil, announced her resignation in June 2021, and she joined the TİP, increasing the total number of party's MPs to four.

During their terms in the parliament, TİP MPs have been vocal about the need for greater democratic reforms in the country and active in addressing social issues affecting the population, such as poverty, corruption, gender inequality, and discrimination against minority groups. This parliamentary performance, along with grassroots activism, helped to increase the party's visibility, particularly among young people, and led to a surge in popularity.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

File:EmekOzgurlukErkanBas.jpg in 2022.]]

Three years after its foundation, the party could complete its nationwide organization by establishing local branches all over the country. By 2020, the number of its organizations exceeded the legal threshold required to participate in the elections and it fulfilled all of the mandatory conditions defined in the Law on Political Parties in Turkey.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-30 |title=Erkan Baş: TİP seçime girme yeterliliğini sağladı |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/politika/2020/06/30/erkan-bas-tip-secime-girme-yeterliligini-sagladi |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=www.diken.com.tr |language=tr}}

In its preparation for the general elections in 2023, the TİP leadership decided to maintain its electoral alliance with HDP, and they formed the Labour and Freedom Alliance together with other left-wing political parties such as Labour Party (EMEP) in August 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-25 |title=Üçüncü ittifak ilan edildi: Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı - Diken |url=https://www.diken.com.tr/ucuncu-ittifak-ilan-edildi-emek-ve-ozgurluk-ittifaki/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=www.diken.com.tr |language=tr}} The constituent parties of the alliance jointly released a declaration, proclaiming that the alliance aims to bring a radical political change in the country on the basis of equality, freedom, fraternity, peace, and democracy.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-25 |title=Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı kuruluyor! |url=https://www.evrensel.net/haber/468837/emek-ve-ozgurluk-ittifaki-kuruluyor |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=www.evrensel.net |language=tr}}

However, unlike the previous election in 2018, the TİP decided to field its own candidates as it is eligible to do so in the parliamentary election of 2023 rather than nominating MPs on the joint list of HDP, which enters the election under Green Left Party (YSP) due to the increasing threat of a lawsuit calling for its closure.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-12 |title=TİP'ten Kılıçdaroğlu'na destek, seçimde ortak listeye ret |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/tipten-kilicdarogluna-destek-secimde-ortak-listeye-ret-haber-1607897 |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=www.gazeteduvar.com.tr |language=tr}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-15 |title=HDP to enter elections under Green Left Party over closure risk|url=https://www.duvarenglish.com/hdp-to-enter-elections-under-green-left-party-over-closure-risk-news-62025 |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Duvar English |language=tr}} Also, the TİP collaborated with the Greens' Party (Yeşiller) and the Workers' Democracy Party (İDP) and the candidates from these two parties run on the TİP's list.{{Cite web |date=11 April 2023 |title=TİP ile Yeşiller Meclise! |url=https://yesiller.org.tr/tip-ile-yesiller-meclise/ |access-date=11 April 2023 |website=yesiller.org.tr |language=tr}}{{Cite web |date=10 April 2023 |title=Türkiye İşçi Partisi Milletvekili Adaylarını Tanıttı |url=https://uidder.org/turkiye_isci_partisi_milletvekili_adaylarini_tanitti.htm |access-date=11 April 2023 |website=uidder.org |language=tr}}

Although the party initially set a target of a 3% vote share in the legislative elections to gain enough seats to form a parliamentary group, it narrowly fell short of this goal.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-10 |title=TİP Genel Başkanı Baş: Oy hedefimiz yüzde 3; Meclis'te grup oluşturmak istiyoruz |url=https://www.diken.com.tr/tip-genel-baskani-bas-oy-hedefimiz-yuzde-3-mecliste-grup-olusturmak-istiyoruz/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=www.diken.com.tr |language=tr}} However, the TİP achieved the highest vote share ever attained by a socialist party in Turkey since 1965.{{cn|date=June 2024}} The chairman, Erkan Baş, the spokesperson, Sera Kadıgil, and Istanbul MP Ahmet Şık were reelected. Furthermore, Can Atalay, a lawyer who was convicted in the Gezi Park trial in 2022, was elected from Hatay province. Despite two rulings from the Constitutional Court of Turkey declaring a violation of rights, Can Atalay, who has not been released, lost his parliamentary status as a result of a decision from the 3rd Criminal Division of the Court of Cassation, which was announced during the General Assembly of the Parliament on 30 January 2024.

For the presidential elections, on the other hand, the Labour and Freedom Alliance decided not to field a candidate and the TİP openly endorsed Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the centre-left Republican People's Party (CHP) and the presidential candidate of Nation Alliance, a political alliance made up of six opposition parties with different political ideologies to contest in the elections.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Cumhurbaşkanlığı seçimi: HDP'nin içinde yer aldığı Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı, aday çıkarmama kararı aldı

|url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cgr1x42gld0o |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=BBC News Türkçe |language=tr}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-12 |title=TİP'ten Kılıçdaroğlu'na destek kararı |url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2023/gundem/son-dakika-tipten-aciklama-secimlere-haziriz-7618529/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Sözcü |language=tr}} The party announced that it prioritizes the possible election defeat of the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by the joint candidate of all opposition forces in the first round of the election and the transition to the parliamentary system in Turkey as quickly as possible after the election as promised by Kılıçdaroğlu.

In the 2024 municipal elections, TİP ran candidates in many precincts. Erkan Baş, the leader of the party, stood as a mayoral candidate in Gebze, a strategically significant district in the industrially dense Kocaeli province. This candidacy was a notable move for TİP, as it highlighted their ambition to establish a foothold in critical urban and industrial regions.{{Cite web |title=Gebze'de TİP lideri Erkan Baş'ın AKP karşısında şansı var mı? |url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/c84dved97wlo |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BBC News |date=29 March 2024 |language=tr}} Recognizing the potential for vote-splitting among opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Green Left Party (YSP) chose not to field their own candidates in Gebze. This decision reflected a broader strategy among opposition forces to consolidate votes in areas where a competitive race could otherwise benefit the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) or its allies.{{Cite web |title=CHP ve DEM Parti, Erkan Baş'ın aday olduğu Gebze'de aday çıkarmadı

|url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/chp-ve-dem-parti-erkan-bas-in-aday-oldugu-gebze-de-aday-cikarmadi-508256 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BirGün |language=tr}} Despite this tactical alliance, Erkan Baş secured 40,438 votes, accounting for 19.92% of the total vote, finishing in third place.

TİP won a precinct, in Samandağ, Hatay.{{Cite web |title=TİP'in seçim karnesi: Kaç belediye kazandı, ne kadar oy aldı? |url=https://www.tele1.com.tr/tipin-secim-karnesi-kac-belediye-kazandi-ne-kadar-oy-aldi |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Tele1 Gerçekleri İzleyin |language=tr}}

File:Workers' Party of Turkey.jpg

As emphasized in its program, the Workers’ Party of Turkey is an internationalist, and working-class party, guided by the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. According to the party program, which begins with a section entitled "The Actuality of Socialism", the aim of the party is the seizing of the political power by the working class and its allies. Party states that it is against the political establishment and the political elite in Turkey, emphasizing the antagonism between the people and the elite.{{Cite web |title=After Decades of Repression, the Workers' Party of Turkey Offers Hope for the Left |url=https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/turkish-left-hdp-workers-party-tip-elections-akp-erdogan |access-date=24 March 2022 |website=Jacobinmag |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine|title=III. TİP ve Yeniden Sol Popülizm |url=https://birikimdergisi.com/haftalik/10960/iii-tip-ve-yeniden-sol-populizm |access-date=24 March 2022 |magazine=Birikim |language=tr}}{{Cite web |title=The Strategies and Struggles of the Turkish Opposition under Autocratization |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/strategies-and-struggles-turkish-opposition-under-autocratization |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Middle East Institute}} This antagonism is materialized as "99% against a handful of greedy cronies" by Erkan Baş, as an example.{{Citation |title=Erkan Baş: Azgın bir azınlık var yiyor, yiyor doymuyor! Milyonlarca insan çöpten ekmek topluyor! | date=20 July 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCRTmEsqKOc|access-date=24 March 2022}} {{interlanguage link|Tanıl Bora|tr}} characterized the ideological outlook of the party as a "reconciliation of left-wing populism and Marxist orthodoxy". As a response, party executive member and author Can Soyer concurred that the ideological direction of the party fits into characterization offered by {{interlanguage link|Tanıl Bora|tr}}.{{Cite web |title=Devamlılıklar ve Sıçramalar: Tanıl Bora'ya Yanıt |url=https://ilerihaber.org/yazar/devamliliklar-ve-sicramalar-tanil-boraya-yanit-138679 |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=İlerihaber |language=tr}}

File:Tip-kadikoy.png

The Workers’ Party of Turkey is against NATO as it considers it to be an extension of capitalism and imperialism.{{cite tweet|number=1404873281862258694|user=tipgenelmerkez|title=[...] NATO uluslararası bir terör örgütüdür. Halk düşmanı bir örgüttür NATO'nun temel görevi, NATO üyesi ülkelerin bi…|date=15 June 2021|access-date=26 December 2021}} Similarly, the party openly opposes authoritarian regimes and its leaders, such as Russia, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.{{Cite web |title=Rusya-Ukrayna savaşında 'barış' vurgusu yapan Erkan Baş'tan NATO ve Putin'e tepki |url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/rusya-ukrayna-savasinda-baris-vurgusu-yapan-erkan-bas-tan-nato-ve-putin-e-tepki-378944 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Birgün |language=Turkish}}{{Cite web |title=Gizlilik kararı olan Kaşıkçı dosyasının Suudi Arabistan'a ne kadara satıldığını açıkladı! Ahmet Şık'tan şoke eden iddia |url=https://www.yurtgazetesi.com.tr/guncel/gizlilik-karari-olan-kasikci-dosyasinin-suudi-arabistana-ne-kadara-satildigi-h197965.html |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Yurt Gazetesi |date=6 April 2022 |language=tr}} The TİP condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially Putin's aggressive expansionist policies and NATO encroachment, calling for peace and avoiding further spread and escalation of the conflict.

The party advocates freedoms, republicanism, democracy and secularism and positions itself against the racist, fascist and sectarian tendencies which became more widespread both in Turkey and in the world. In their publications and speeches, the party's members of parliament voice their belief in the importance of social movements such as the women's movement, the environmental movement and the LGBT movement.{{Cite web |title=Erkan Baş'tan Erdoğan'a sert sözler |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/erkan-bastan-erdogana-sert-sozler-1848344 |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=Cumhuriyet |date=29 June 2021 |language=tr}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=3 September 2021 |title=TİP: Kadınlar Türkiye'nin en büyük muhalefet gücü |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/tip-kadinlar-turkiyenin-en-buyuk-muhalefet-gucu-haber-1515592 |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=Duvar |language=tr-TR}}{{Cite web|date=15 December 2021|title=TİP'li Ahmet Şık: İlke bazında ortaklaştığımız adaya oy veririz|url=https://www.diken.com.tr/tipli-ahmet-sik-ilke-bazinda-ortaklastigimiz-cumhurbaskani-adayina-oy-veririz/|access-date=25 December 2021|website=Diken|language=en-GB}} The TİP also aims to create a democratic system where the people represent themselves and have the political power in the country, rather than this power being limited to the elite.{{Cite web |title=Kadıgil: TİP'te beklediğimden de iyi karşılandım |url=https://ilerihaber.org/icerik/sera-kadigil-tipte-bekledigimden-de-iyi-karsilandim-137124 |access-date=4 April 2022 |website=İlerihaber |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=6 February 2022 |title=TİP Genel Başkanı Erkan Baş, TİP milletvekilleri Ahmet Şık ile Sera Kadıgil gazetecilerle buluştu |url=https://yolhaber.net/2022/02/06/tip-genel-baskani-erkan-bas-tip-milletvekilleri-ahmet-sik-ile-sera-kadigil-gazetecilerle-bulustu/ |access-date=4 April 2022 |website=Yol Haber |language=tr}} In that sense, Erkan Baş urged for the implementation of participatory politics for all of the society, transforming the people into "political subjects" through means including e-democracy, direct democracy and popular participation and transparency.{{Cite web |title=TİP Genel Başkanı Erkan Baş, Kaş'ta halk buluşması düzenledi |url=https://ilerihaber.org/icerik/tip-genel-baskani-erkan-bas-kasta-halk-bulusmasi-duzenledi-133223.html |access-date=4 April 2022 |website=İlerihaber |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=23 November 2021 |title=Üçüncü İttifak: Ne, neden, niçin, nasıl, kimlerle? (1) – Erkan Baş (İleri) |url=https://sendika.org/2021/11/ucuncu-ittifak-ne-neden-nicin-nasil-kimlerle-1-erkan-bas-ileri-haber-637888/ |access-date=4 April 2022 |website=Sendika |language=tr}}

The Workers’ Party of Turkey opposes all foreign interventions of the imperialist actors, especially those targeting Middle East, Caucasus and the Balkans, and aggressive actions participated by the Turkish government as well.{{Cite web |date=1 March 2022 |title=Savaşa karşı barış, hemen şimdi ve her yerde |url=http://tip.org.tr/basin-aciklamalari/savasa-karsi-baris-hemen-simdi-ve-her-yerde/ |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Türkiye İşçi Partisi |language=tr-TR}} In line with their position, in October 2021, TİP parliamentarians voted against the mandate extending the Turkish military deployment in Syria and Iraq until 2023.{{Cite web|date=28 October 2021|title=Turkish Parliament extends military mandate: what is the background to this mandate?|url=https://hdpeurope.eu/2021/10/turkish-parliament-extends-military-mandate-what-is-the-background-to-this-mandate/|access-date=1 January 2022|website=HDP Europe|language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Suriye ve Irak tezkeresine kim 'evet', kim 'hayır' diyecek? |url=https://www.evrensel.net/haber/446164/suriye-ve-irak-tezkeresine-kim-evet-kim-hayir-diyecek |access-date=1 January 2022 |website=Evrensel |language=tr-TR}}

The party advocates peace and fraternity between the Turkish and Kurdish peoples in Turkey and among the peoples in the world and in the region.{{Cite web |title=Erkan Baş: Türkiye'nin başındaki en büyük bela saray rejimi, AKP iktidarı ve Erdoğan'dır |url=https://www.gercekgundem.com/siyaset/305183/erkan-bas-turkiyenin-basindaki-en-buyuk-bela-saray-rejimi-akp-iktidari-ve-erdogandir |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=Gerçek Gündem |date=10 October 2021 |language=tr}}

The party has an International Committee that propagates the policies of the party internationally in different world languages. International Committee publishes a monthly bulletin in the English language.{{cite web |title=Bulletins {{!}} Türkiye İşçi Partisi |url=http://tip.org.tr/kategori/bulletins/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190601100922/http://tip.org.tr/kategori/bulletins/|archive-date=1 June 2019 |website=Türkiye İşçi Partisi}}

• Workers' Party of Turkey (1961)

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Category:2017 establishments in Turkey

Category:Communist parties in Turkey

Category:Labour and Freedom Alliance

Category:Political parties established in 2017