According to figures released by the Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutors Office, Turkey currently has 77 registered political parties. The earliest formed party following the 1980 coup is the Democrat Party (DP), which was established in 1983. The newest party to join the ranks is the Gezi Party (GZP), which was formed on October 1 of this year.
Following the Democrat Party for earliest reestablished parties following the coup, is the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which was formed in 1983, the People's Party (Halkçi Partisi) in 1984, the Democratic Left Party (DSP) in 1985 and the Workers Party in 1992.
The list also includes a series of parties less familiar to the public such as the Turkey Unemployed (Türkiye İşsizler), Laborers Party (Emekçiler Partisi), Trust Party (Güven Partisi) and the Reason Party (Sağduyu Partisi).
Nineteen parties participated in the 2009 local elections, while 15 ran for the 2011 general elections.
According to figures from mid-October, the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has over 8 million 83 thousand members. The Republican People's Party follows in second with over 970 thousand members and the Nationalist Movement Party is third for party membership with over 364 thousand members.
