Far-right, anti-Kurdish nationalist party also known as the Grey Wolves. Party promotes the tenets of the Nine Lights Doctrine, a Turkish nationalism shaped by Islam, introduced by the party's founder, Alparslan Turkeş. Turkes created the MHP out of a minor rural party called the Republican Villagers Nation Party (Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi, CKMP) in 1969. The MHP was largely responsible for the escalation of violence in the late seventies and was banned after the 1980 coup, then reconstituted in 1995. Party has been led by former Deputy Minister Devlet Bahçeli since July 6, 1997 [Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP)].
