The preparatory works for the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) were initiated in March 2018 by 146 workers, intellectuals, young people, women, trade union leaders and socialists from different cities of Turkey who made a call entitled “Come, Sisters and Brothers”.

The call of the 146 people soon created an organization of thousands of people. Organizational activities were accelerated by foundation meetings held in many regions. The TİP, of which Constituent Assembly was established, sent two representatives (Erkan Baş, Barış Atay) to the Turkish parliament, thanks to the electoral alliance with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) made for the general elections held in June 2018.

After the elections, the Workers’ Party of Turkey intensified its works on the preparation of its program and constitution, and finalized them at its foundation congress which elected the party organs.

The chairperson of the Workers’ Party of Turkey is Istanbul deputy Erkan Baş. Baş, who was one of the leaders of the Gezi Resistance, one of the most important social upheavals in the Turkish history, had been the chairperson of the Communist Party of Turkey as well, in the past.

The re-established Workers’ Party of Turkey has been recognized as the vanguard of the expansion of the social basis of the socialist ideology in the political history of Turkey.

As emphasized in its program, the Workers’ Party of Turkey is an internationalist Marxist-Leninist working class party. 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.

The Workers’ Party of Turkey is against the imperialist-capitalist system and the imperialist institutions such as NATO, EU and IMF.

Against the capitalist order, of which authoritarian character has becoming more and more evident all over the world, and against the racist, fascist and sectarian tendencies which have becoming more and more widespread, the Workers’ Party of Turkey advocates freedoms, democracy and secularism.

The Workers’ Party of Turkey recognizes the importance of social movements such as the women’s movement, the environmental movement and the LGBTI movement, and the party is aware that these vital issues are inseparable parts of the struggle for a socialist power.

The Workers’ Party of Turkey opposes all foreign interventions of the imperialist actors, especially those targeting the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans, and aggressive actions participated by the Turkish government as well. The party advocates peace and fraternity between the Turkish and Kurdish peoples in Turkey and among the peoples in the world and in our region.

The Workers’ Party of Turkey embraces the socialist governments established after the Great Socialist October Revolution of 1917, reserving the right to criticize the mistakes committed.

The organization of the party is based on the principle of Democratic Centralism. The “collective responsibility” of the party leadership has been stated in the constitution.

High proportions of women and young people have been attained in the central organs of the party. The Workers’ Party of Turkey aims at making grassroots organizations more widespread and bigger, in order to strengthen the socialist movement.

The Workers’ Party of Turkey, which established its local organizations in tens of cities, has strong ties with workers’ resistances in Turkey.