ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the rise of the pro-Kurdish movement since 1990 and what factors have enabled its success in a number of local and national elections since 2014. It provides an account of the organisational development and growth of the movement from its foundation in 1990 to end of 2012 when the pro-Kurdish political party the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was established. The chapter discusses the political demands raised by the pro-Kurdish parties and their proposals to reform the existing political framework to recognise ethnic and cultural identities and difference in Turkey. It examines the attempts by the pro-Kurdish political parties to build a greater coalition of pro-democracy forces. The chapter describes the formation of the HDP and highlights the key political demands it articulates and its notions of democracy and pluralism. It outlines the factors behind the HDP's electoral breakthrough in the 2015 general elections.
