Labour Party (Turkey)

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Labour Party (in Turkish: Emek Partisi, EMEP) is a political party in Turkey. Its chairman is Abdullah Levent Tüzel. The party was founded as Emek Partisi (Labour Party, EP) in 1996. Due to its ban by the Constitutional Court, it was refounded with the name Emeğin Partisi (Party of Labour, EMEP), the same year. In 2005, the name "Labour Party" was reinstalled, however keeping the abbreviation EMEP.

The foundation of EMEP was a result of the initiative started by the Turkish political cadres affiliated with the Albanian Party of Labour. The party defines its ideology as "scientific socialism", referring to Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey as the "illegal revolutionary party of the working class". EMEP presents itself, on the other hand, as "an open worker's party". Its ideological stance is in accord with the line of ICMLPO, approving the legacy of Joseph Stalin and Enver Hoxha integrally. In its programme, EMEP identifies its goal as creating a "Independent and Democratic Turkey".

The party participated in 1999 General Elections, getting 51,756 votes, i.e. 0.17% of the total vote. At other elections, EMEP became a constituent party in coalitions formed mainly around DEHAP.

The party publishes the daily Evrensel (Universal), identified as "daily worker's newspaper" and as "a main tool of propaganda, agitation, and organisation activities".

[edit] External links

• Labour Party Official website
• The Working Class Movement in Turkey and The Party of Labour Presentation at the official website (March 2006)
• Evrensel Daily Newspaper (in Turkish)