Social Democratic People's Party (Turkey)

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The Social Democratic People's Party (Turkish: Sosyaldemokrat Halk Partisi) or SHP is a Turkish left Social Democratic Party established by Murat Karayalçın, former Ankara Metropolitan Mayor (1989-1993) and Foreign Minister (1994-1995).

Following Karayalçın's resignation from the Republican People's Party (Turkey), a number of social democrats and moderate & liberal socialists came together to establish SHP. Although the newly-established SHP had most of its policies in common with a former party with the same abbreviation SHP, they never had an organic tie.

In 2004 Turkish local elections SHP came forward in an alliance with the pro-Kurdish Democratic People's Party and the radical left Freedom and Solidarity Party. The party leader Murat Karayalçın also became a candidate for his former seat of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality in these elections, However, he lost to the incumbent mayor Melih Gökçek of AK Parti.

SHP has currently (August 2006) two members in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, two former deputies having resigned in early August from the party in, what they claimed, was a show of reaction to the lack of concern by the party management against separatist terrorism. [1]

The party is currently still led by Murat Karayalçın.