Freedom and Labor Alliance parties join forces for elections

Political parties under the Freedom and Labour Alliance, Turkey’s second biggest opposition bloc, will join their forces for the 2023 general elections. While Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) will run in the elections with its own list of candidates in all 81 provinces, the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) will only run in 41 provinces.

Friday March 17 2023 12:28 am

Duvar English

The Freedom and Labour Alliance (“Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı”) which is Turkey’s second biggest opposition bloc, has decided to run in the 2023 general elections as a joint front.

The Labor and Freedom Alliance consisting of the Labor Party (EMEP), the Workers' Movement Party (EHP), the Social Freedom Party (TÖP), the Federation of Socialist Assemblies (SMF), the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) met at the HDP headquarters on March 16 to clarify how the electoral cooperation will take place. At the end of the meeting, parties announced that the alliance will take the shape of an “election alliance.”

The parties stated that they will implement methods that will protect the gains of all components of the alliance and but did not share the details with the public.

Based on backstage rumors, the HDP will enter the elections in 81 provinces with its own logo and list of deputies. The TİP on the other hand will run under its own name in certain provinces but will always use the logo of the alliance in public display.

According to the law, a political party participating in the elections under its own name must nominate parliamentary candidates in at least 41 provinces. Therefore, the TİP is expected to nominate candidates in at least 41 provinces.

Nevertheless, the TİP will not nominate candidates in provinces where the HDP is strong.

In the provinces where the TİP nominates candidates, the logos of the TİP and HDP will be side by side under the Labor and Freedom Alliance logo. In the HDP’s places of strength, only HDP’s logo and deputy list will be used.

Turkey will hold presidential and general elections on May 14. Currently, three coalition groups will run in the elections: the ruling People’s Alliance, the main opposition Nation Alliance (“Millet İttifakı”), and the leftist opposition Labor and Freedom Alliance.