Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946–61) Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946–61) The Democratic Party (Turkish: Demokrat Parti, DP for short) was a Turkish moderately right-wing political party, and the country's third legal opposition party, after the Liberal Republican Party (Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası) established by Ali Fethi Okyar in 1930, and the National Development Party (Milli Kalkınma Partisi) established by Nuri Demirağ in 1945. Founded and led by Celâl Bayar, it was the first of the opposition parties to rise to power, de-seating the Republican People's Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) during the national elections of 1950 and ending Turkey's one party era. The party facilitated the resurgence of
Multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey Multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey The multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey started with the establishment of the opposition Liberal Republican Party ("Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası") by Ali Fethi Okyar in 1930 after President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk asked Okyar to establish the party as part of an attempted transition to multi-party democracy in Turkey. It was soon closed by the Republican People's Party government, however, when Atatürk found the party to be too influenced by Islamist-rooted reactionary elements. In 1945, the National Development Party ("Milli Kalkınma Partisi") was founded by Nuri Demirağ. The next year, the Democratic Party