This thesis examines the stance of the DLP and the factors that led the DLP
to the top of the Turkish political scene in the 18 April 1999 elections. While
the DLP’s stance is explained with a new kind of ideological position that
can be termed ‘center-left nationalism’, the rise of the DLP in the elections
is mostly explained by the conjuncture of the pre-election period. The study
also examines the history and structure of the DLP, and the corruption in
Turkish politics.