Good Party challenges gov’t over headscarf bill
ANKARA
Meral Akşener, chairwoman of the Good (İYİ) Party, has challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the headscarf bill by suggesting that her party will propose its own constitutional amendment to fully remove this matter from the country’s agenda.
“If you are really sincere in your attempts to find a common mind and if you are sincere to resolve this problem forever, then we are in. Here is our proposal,” Akşener said at a weekly parliamentary meeting of her party on Jan. 18.
Akşener slammed President Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) for trying to exploit the feelings of the women by bringing the headscarf issue once again to the country’s agenda just before the elections.
“In the eyes of these people, the headscarf is nothing but a tool to be used for political purposes,” she said.
The Good Party will not allow anybody to exploit the feelings of the women, Akşener said, “We have observed that the constitutional amendment package is carelessly written. Therefore, we have made our own study and drafted a constitutional bill. If they are sincere, then let’s find a solution altogether.”
The AKP and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have submitted a three-article constitutional amendment package to liberate the use of headscarf in public and private spaces as well as to strengthen the family institution by explaining that marriage can only take place between a man and woman.
They need the support of at least 25 votes to take it to referendum. At least 400 votes out of 600 lawmakers are required to legislate it in Parliament without going to referendum. The opposition parties have no intention to lend support to the AKP’s bill.
