INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS CHP: A Party on the Road to Social Democracy AYDIN CINGI June 2011 „ „ The CHP did not grow out of a workers’ movement. Nor was it founded as a politi­cal force rebelling against an unequal system in order to transform it into a more equal one. In contrast, the CHP established a new republican order on the ruins of a collapsing empire and developed reflexes aimed at preserving it. It started to evolve from a state party to a social democratic one in the mid-1960s, within a social con­text of emerging contestation between employers and workers. „ „ A radical change occurred within the CHP in May 2010. The former chairman, Mr Baykal resigned, and the party elected a new one, Mr Kılıçdaroğlu. The party ex­ecutive was also rejuvenated at the party’s 33rd Congress. „ „ The average Turkish voter has long identified the CHP with the authoritarian state, although the party has not ruled for decades. This is due to its long alliance with the civil and military bureaucracy and to its defensive reflexes. These have tended to try to preserve the republican secular order. Obviously, this instinct of preservation is what one might expect from a conservative party. But the new party leadership is promising a move towards a less nationalistic and more social democratic position.