The Peoples' Democratic Congress (Turkish: Halkların Demokratik Kongresi, HDK) is a union of numerous left-wing political movements, organisations and parties in Turkey that aims to fundamentally recreate Turkish politics and represent oppressed, exploited individuals who face ethnic, religious or gender discrimination. The Congress is anti-capitalist and was formed on 15 October 2011. It organises numerous conferences and holds official congresses. In 2012, the Congress established a new party that would act as its political wing, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). A similar union of left-wing groups, the United June Movement, was formed in 2014.
The Congress aims to provide a platform for oppressed and exploited individual as well as minorities facing religious or ethnic discrimination. The Congress also is strongly in favour of women's rights and thus operates a co-leader system with one male and one female spokesperson. The Congress aims to represent Kurdish minority in particular and is critical of the lack of constitutional enshrinement of minority rights. Other minorities that the Congress aims to represent are Alevis, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Circassians, Laz, the LGBT community and Romani. The Congress is heavily critical of capitalism and what they see as the exploitation of workers.[2]
Politically, the Congress is democratic socialist and has its political interests represented by the Peoples' Democratic Party. The Democratic Regions Party is also affiliated with the Congress but runs for local government positions in the Kurdish majority south-east only.