The Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace (Greek: Κόμμα Ισότητας, Ειρήνης και Φιλίας, abbr. Κ.Ι.Ε.Φ., KIEF; Turkish: Dostluk-Eşitlik-Barış Partisi, DEBP) is a Greekethnic party founded to represent the interests of Turks of Western Thrace.[3]
Overview
The party was created on 13 September 1991 by Sadik Achmet, who presided over it until his death in 1995. Achmet was succeeded by his widow Isik Achmet (Işık Ahmet) who led until 1999. The party was then led by Achmet Chatziosman until 2007 when Chatziosman was elected member of the Greek Parliament for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). The next chairman, Moustafa Bosnak, was replaced in July 2010 by Moustafa Ali Tsavous.[4]
Achmet Chatziosman was elected in 2002 and 2006 for the Rhodope Prefecture on a common PASOK-Synaspismós list and was vice-prefect from 2002 to 2007.[5]
The 5th Ordinary General Congress of the party took place on 5 January 2019 at the Party Headquarters. Tsidem Asafoglou, the only candidate in the congress that took place in the party's headquarters, was elected as the new party president.[6]
For the 2024 European elections, the party has one candidate representing the ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece, Eugenia Natsoulidou.[7][8]
Although unable to send MEPs due to 3% national threshold, DEB emerged as the first party in Xanthi and Rhodope regional units in both 2014 and 2019 European elections, drawing attention. In 2019 elections, DEB received 38% of the votes in Rhodope regional unit and 25.24% of the votes in Xanthi regional unit.[9] DEB also received 1.30% of the votes in Evros regional unit. While in the overall region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the party came in as the 3rd biggest party after top 2 national parties New Democracy and Syriza. Other regions outside Eastern Macedonia and Thrace where votes were cast for DEB were listed as Dodecanese, Thessaloniki, and Athens.
Other Turkish minority parties in South-Eastern Europe
