View source for Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus)

{{Redirect|Demokrat Partisi|other uses|Demokrat Parti (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Democratic Party
| native_name      = Demokrat Parti
| logo             = Logo of the Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus).svg
| country          = North Cyprus
| colorcode        = {{party color|Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus)}}
| leader           = {{illm|Fikri Ataoğlu|tr|Fikri Ataoğlu}}
| colors           = Red, White, Green
| foundation       = 30 July 1992
| split            = [[National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)|National Unity Party]]
| ideology         = [[Conservatism]]<ref name="Nordsieck">{{cite web|title=Northern Cyprus|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/ncyprus.html|website=Parties and Elections in Europe|first=Wolfram|last=Nordsieck|year=2018|access-date=2013-05-23|archive-date=2017-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221223231/http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/ncyprus.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>[[Turkish Cypriot nationalism]]<br>[[Two-state solution (Cyprus)|Two-state solution]]
| position         = [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]<ref>{{Cite book |author1=[[Andrekos Varnava]] |author2=Christalla Yakinthou |title=Cyprus: Political Modernity and the Structures of Democracy in a Divided Island |work=The Oxford Handbook of Local and Regional Democracy in Europe |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |page=469}}</ref>
| international    = 
| european         = 
| headquarters     = [[North Nicosia]], [[Northern Cyprus]]
| seats1_title     = [[Parliament of Northern Cyprus|Parliament]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|3|50|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus)}}}}
| seats2_title     = [[Municipalities of Northern Cyprus|Municipalities]]
| seats2           = {{Composition bar|1|18|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus)}}}}
| website          = {{url|https://kktcdemokratparti.org/}}
}}
The '''Democratic Party''' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Demokrat Parti'', '''DP''') is a [[Conservatism|conservative]]<ref name="Nordsieck"/> [[List of political parties in Northern Cyprus|political party]] in [[Northern Cyprus]]. The leader of the party is [[Fikri Ataoğlu]].

==Overview==
The Democratic Party was founded as a breakaway from the ruling right-wing [[National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)|National Unity Party]] (UBP) in 1992. The party merged in 1993 with the [[New Dawn Party]] (YDP), a party representing the interests of the [[Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus]], and consistently had high levels of support in the settler population until the [[2003 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2003 election]]. Rauf Denktaş had considerable influence on the party.<ref>{{Citation|last=Hatay|first=Mete|year=2005|title=Beyond Numbers: An Inquiry into the Political Integration of the Turkish 'Settlers' in Northern Cyprus|url=https://www.prio.org/Global/upload/Cyprus/beyond_numbers_reduced.pdf|accessdate=29 December 2016|publisher=PRIO Cyprus Center|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113627/https://www.prio.org/Global/upload/Cyprus/beyond_numbers_reduced.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the [[2005 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|legislative elections]] for the [[Assembly of the Republic (Northern Cyprus)|Assembly of the Republic]] on 20 January 2005, the party won 13.5% of the popular vote and 6 out of 50 seats. Its candidate, [[Mustafa Arabacıoğlu]], won 13.3% of the votes in the [[2005 Northern Cypriot presidential election|Northern Cyprus presidential elections]] on 17 April 2005. At the [[2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|legislative elections]] on 19 April 2009 the DP won 5 out of 50 seats and 10.7% of the popular vote.

In 2013, 8 members of the parliament resigned from the [[National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)|National Unity Party]] (UBP) and joined the Democratic Party. The party subsequently renamed itself Democratic Party — National Forces.<ref>{{cite web|title=DP Ulusal Güçler siyaset sahnesinde|date=6 June 2013 |url=http://www.yeniduzen.com/Haberler/siyaset/dp-ulusal-gucler-siyaset-sahnesinde/4335|publisher=Yeni Düzen|accessdate=12 May 2015|language=Turkish}}</ref> At the [[2013 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|legislative elections]] in 2013, the DP greatly increased its share of the votes and won 12 out of 50 seats and 23.2% of the popular vote. The party then subsequently went on to become the junior partner of the coalition government under the [[Republican Turkish Party]] (CTP).<ref>{{cite web|title=Başbakan Erdoğan ile görüşmek istiyor|url=http://www.milliyet.com.tr/basbakan-erdogan-ile-gorusmek/dunya/detay/1757017/default.htm|publisher=Milliyet|accessdate=12 May 2015|language=Turkish}}</ref> However, in 2014, four members of the parliament resigned from the party<ref>{{cite web|title=DP-UG'de istifa şoku|url=http://www.kibrisgazetesi.com/?p=571729|publisher=Kıbrıs|accessdate=12 May 2015|language=Turkish}}</ref> and three of them joined the National Unity Party.<ref>{{cite web|title=DPUG'den istifa eden 3 vekil UBP'ye katıldı!|url=http://www.kibrispostasi.com/index.php/cat/35/news/149424/PageName/KIBRIS_HABERLERI|publisher=Kıbrıs Postası|accessdate=12 May 2015|language=Turkish}}</ref> In July 2015, the party became the main opposition party, against the CTP-UBP coalition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ve kabine açıklandı|url=http://www.starkibris.net/index.asp?haberID=208107|publisher=[[Star Kıbrıs]]|accessdate=16 July 2015|language=Turkish}}</ref> It joined the government as the junior partner once again, this time with the UBP, in April 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yeni Kabine açıklandı!|url=http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/yeni-kabine-aciklandi-106850.html|publisher=HABERKKTC|accessdate=16 April 2016|language=Turkish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105235730/http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/yeni-kabine-aciklandi-106850.html|archive-date=5 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Leaders of the Democratic Party==
* [[Hakkı Atun]] (30 July 1992 - 16 August 1996)
* [[Serdar Denktaş]] (16 August 1996 - 30 November 2019)
* {{illm|Fikri Ataoğlu|tr|Fikri Ataoğlu}}  (30 November 2019 – present)

==Election results==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+ [[Assembly of the Republic (Northern Cyprus)|Assembly of the Republic]]
! rowspan=2| Election
! colspan=3| Votes
! colspan=2| Seats
! style="width:150px" rowspan=2| Role
|-
! style="width:50px"| #
! style="width:50px"| %
! style="width:50px"| Rank
! style="width:50px"| #
! style="width:50px"| ±
|-
! [[1993 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|1993]]
| {{N/A}}
| 29.2
| 2nd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|16|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| new
| {{yes2|<small>DP–[[Republican Turkish Party|CTP]] coalition</small>}}
|-
! [[1998 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|1998]]
| 246,602
| 22.6
| 4th
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|13|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{yes2|<small>[[National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)|UBP]]–DP coalition</small>}}
|-
! [[2003 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2003]]
| 172,473
| 12.9
| 3rd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|7|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{decrease}} 6
| {{yes2|<small>[[Republican Turkish Party|CTP]]–DP coalition</small>}}
|-
! [[2005 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2005]]
| 174,721
| 13.5
| 3rd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|6|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{yes2|<small>[[Republican Turkish Party|CTP]]–DP coalition</small>}}
|-
! [[2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2009]]
| 150,695
| 10.7
| 3rd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|5|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{no2|in opposition}}
|-
! [[2013 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2013]]
| 288,021
| 23.2
| 3rd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|12|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{increase}} 7
| {{yes2|<small>[[Republican Turkish Party|CTP]]–DP coalition</small>}}
|-
! [[2018 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2018]]
| 420,102
| 7.8
| 5th
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|3|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{decrease}} 9
| {{yes2|<small>[[Republican Turkish Party|CTP]]–[[People's Party (Northern Cyprus)|HP]]–[[Communal Democracy Party|TDP]]–DP coalition}}</small>
|-
! [[2022 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election|2022]]
| 369,239
| 7.4
| 3rd
| style="text-align:right;"| {{Composition bar compact|3|50|hex=#DC241F}} 
| {{steady}} 0
| {{yes2|<small>[[National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)|UBP]]–DP-[[Rebirth Party (Northern Cyprus)|YDP]] coalition</small>}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160402213802/http://demokratbakis.net/ Demokrat Bakış, official newspaper of the party]

{{Northern Cyprus political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Political parties in Northern Cyprus]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Europe]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Asia]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in Northern Cyprus]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1992]]
[[Category:Turkish nationalism in Cyprus]]
[[Category:Turkish nationalist organizations]]