ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As Turkey tentatively steps onto a path towards peace, buoyed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) symbolic disarmament, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is preparing for an internal overhaul with an eye to elevating the party's political standing.
Cengiz Candar, a member of the DEM Party, confirmed to Rudaw on Friday that his party will likely hold a general conference next fall.
“There is some information that the DEM party is going to hold a conference, a general conference of the party to reorganize the political party according to the new circumstances in next fall,” he said.
Candar is an experienced and influential figure in Turkish politics and media, known for his expertise in Middle Eastern and Kurdish affairs.
“[PKK founder Abdullah] Ocalan said more than once that the DEM party has to be reorganized and take the role of a party with a potential of at least 20 percent of the votes in Turkey, which might make it potentially a partner to political power in the future,” he said.
DEM Party, formerly known as the Green Left Party, rose to prominence as Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party in 2023 when it took over the position from Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) that was facing the risk of closure.
Many of DEM Party’s members and elected representatives have faced criminal charges of alleged ties to the PKK.
In recent months, the party has mediated talks between the PKK and Ankara. In February, PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in jail since 1999, called on his group to lay down arms and pursue a political path to securing Kurdish rights in Turkey. On Friday, a group of PKK fighters symbolically burned their weapons.
DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan told Rudaw’s Shawkat Harki last week that “the biggest benefit of this process has been for the DEM Party.”
He explained that a significant space has opened up for them with the peace talks.
“People were afraid to even come near our party. They were afraid to attend our events, our programs. But if a democratic space is truly established, it will be incredibly beneficial for us. This also means we will grow - our base will expand,” he said.
“New days lie ahead. We are already working on this.”