Republican Villagers Nation Party
The Republican Villagers Nation Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi, CKMP), alternatively translated Republican Peasants' Nation Party, was a former political party in Turkey.
Republican Villagers Nation Party Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi | |
|---|---|
| President | Osman Bölükbaşı (1958-1962) Ahmet Oğuz (1962-1965) Alparslan Türkeş (1965-1969) |
| Founder | Osman Bölükbaşı |
| Founded | 16 October 1958 |
| Dissolved | 9 February 1969 |
| Merger of | Republican Nation Party Peasants' Party |
| Succeeded by | Nationalist Movement Party |
| Ideology | Turkish nationalism National conservatism Agrarianism Pan-Turkism Turanism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Colours | Brown |
Fusion
The party was founded by fusion of several small nationalist parties.[1]
One of these parties was Turkey Villagers Party, founded by Oğuz Remzi Arık on 16 May 1952. Most of the members of this party were ex Democrat Party members and they were known as Nationalists. A prominent member of the party was Marshal Fevzi Çakmak.[1] After the death of the founder in an air crash, the party could not gain any seats in the parliament in the 1954 and 1957 elections.
An other party was Osman Bölükbaşı's Republican Nation Party, which was founded on 27 January 1954. But unlike Turkey Villagers Party, the Republican Nation Party was actually the continuation of a former party named Nation Party which was banned in 1953.[2] Both in 1954 and in 1957 elections they were able to gain seats in the Parliament.
Split in the party
In 1962, the party faced with the problem of coalition partnership. Up to 1962 CKMP had always been an opposition party. But in 1962 for the first time, CKMP was offered to take part in İsmet İnönü's coalition government. (see the 27th government of Turkey.) Although this offer was attractive for most of the party members, Osman Bölükbaşı was against to serve under İsmet İnönü. Thus a group of MPs under the leadership of Osman Bölükbaşı issued from the party. The new chairman of the party was Ahmet Oğuz. The party participated in the coalition government and one member, Hasan Dincer, became the deputy prime minister.[3] But without the rhetoric of Osman Bölükbaşı the party began to lose support. Between the general elections in 1961 and 1965 the support dropped from 14% to 2.2%.[4] Meanwhile, in 1965 Bölükbaşı's new party i.e., Nation Party received 6.3%.
Conversion to MHP
On 31 March 1964, Alparslan Türkeş an ex colonel and a member of 1960 Turkish coup d'état team, became a member of the party. On 1 August 1965 Alparslan Türkeş became the new chairman of the party and three days later the senior politicians of the party (including Ahmet Oğuz) resigned from the party.[5] This enabled Alparslan Türkeş to redesign the party. A new party program in line with the Nine Lights Doctrine of Türkeş was announced and Türkeş received full authority over the party. He reportedly stated that: "Whoever joins the cause and becomes a traitor, kill him."[1] In 1969, the party was renamed to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and it opened itself for the muslim electorate.[6]
References
- Kedourie, Sylvia (2012-10-12). Turkey Before and After Ataturk: Internal and External Affairs. Routledge. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-136-32552-6.
- Altan Öymen: Öfkeli Yıllar, Doğan Kitap, Istanbul, ISBN 978-605-111-401-9, p.452
- "Official page of the prime minister". Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- "iPage". www.secim-sonuclari.com. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- "Ülkü Ocakları page" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- Landau, Jacob M.; Landau, Yaʿaqov M. (1981). Pan-Turkism in Turkey: A Study of Irredentism. C. Hurst. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-905838-57-1.
