Rebuilding democracy in Türkiye

The Danish party Red-Green Alliance is cooperating with the oppositional - Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDP) - a gathering of left-wing movements, organisations, and parties in Turkey. HDP is based on a leftist foundation and is fighting for democratic rights. Through concrete initiatives they have been at the forefront in the fight for gender equality in Turkey. The aim of this partnership is to establish formal cooperation between the Red-Green Alliance and the Peoples' Democratic Party in Turkey within the areas of organisation building, strategy development, and inclusion.

One of the challenges HDP faces is delivering information on the political situation in Turkey. Even though, the party has some experience engaging with regional and European affairs, the dire situation of democracy in Turkey remains unknown to the general, European public. The Red-Green-Alliance is a strong actor in social media and information sharing why sharing experiences and knowledge on social media strategies is central in this partnership.

Moreover, The-Red-Green Alliance is building on a Scandinavian network of left-wing parties working in Turkey, so the support and encouragement of democratic practices in Turkey is coordinated to a larger extent.

There is also valuable learning for the Red-Green Alliance in the cooperation with HDP. HDP has an elaborate history and experience in promoting women’s participation in the party and the political sphere. They are famous for their dual candidates of chairpersons, where they are required to nominate both a woman and a man. Also, the HDP has a unique women’s council establishing and promoting women’s rights in politics. This also includes a youth section. The initiatives taken by HDP in this area are pioneering, not only in a local context. Such initiatives and experiences may also prove valuable in the context of Danish politics and, specifically, RGA party and organizational politics.