Turkish women not represented enough in politics: CHP leader

ANKARA

Women in Turkey are not adequately represented in the Turkish political system and civil society associations should impose pressure to secure at least a one third quota through an amendment of the Law on the Political Parties, the leader of the main opposition party has said.

“We implement a 33.3 percent quota for women representation in our party. But women associations should pursue their struggle for the introduction of the 33.3 quota into the Law on the Political Parties. Then all the parties will be obliged to implement the gender quota,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said at a meeting with the members of the Şerife Bacı Women Platform over the weekend.

Women are still denied from social and political life by certain groups who dislike women’s visibility in daily life, Kılıçdaroğlu said, stressing this can only be defeated through a continued endeavor by women’s organizations.

The CHP leader recalled that Turkish women are very effectively active in the academic life and elsewhere but it’s hard to suggest that their organization is not at a desired level.

“But it would also be wrong if we would suggest that ‘Women have no name.’ They sure have. But their weight in politics is not sufficient. The most important reason to that is the fact that the political arena is highly corrupted and the corrupted climate does not allow women to do politics,” he said.

That’s why a law on political parties should be legislated and politics need to be cleared of the corruption, Kılıçdaroğlu added.

“Both women and youth may enter politics if politics develops on the moral basis. I wish all women can unite on certain objectives and act together,” he added.