This article aims to provide a new understanding of factionalism as a form of social anchorage of political parties, based on the case study of the RPP (Republican Peoples Party) in Adana metropolis (southern Turkey). Turkish parties are generally considered as cut off from society. However, on the local scale, factionalism is omnipresent. Its analysis shows that the party maintains sustained but unstable relationships with social groups and collective interests. This kind of factionalism only partially matches the theories developed in the 1970 on other countries. Poorly institutionalized, this version relies on diverse and changing social bases, in a context of dismantling of politicized groups. Analyzing this phenomenon provides a new understanding of the forms of political leadership as well as the exchanges between leaders, activists and voters. This perspective also sheds new light on the internal working of parties, especially on the relationships between local and national scales.