48 Women in Parliament

Ka-Der chairwoman Gülbahar has interpreted the likely entry of 48 women into parliament as a success for the NGOs campaign. However, she argues that the number is still too small and calls for a womens quota.

İstanbul

Hülya Gülbahar, chairwoman of the Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates (Ka-Der), has said that so far it seems that 48 women will enter parliament. "This is a result of our campaign entitled 'This Parliament Needs Women' and of the women's efforts."

A successful campaign and successful women

With the results not quite confirmed yet, Gülbahar says that there are 29 women MPs from the AKP, 9 from the CHP, 2 from the MHP and 8 among the "Thousand Hope" independent candidates.

Among the AKP MPs there are Mesude Nursuan Memecan, Özlem Piltanoglu and Edibe Sözen, the vice chairwoman responsible for the party's media and PR.

Among the CHP MPs are the organisers of the "Republican Rallies", Nur Serter and Necla Arat, and Güldal Mumcu.

The two female MHP MPs are Meral Aksener and Senol Bal.

Gülbahar says: "This is the women's success. Even if we do not have the number of women we would like to have, the campaign has still been very effective."

Need for a quota

According to Gülbahar, there has been a hundred percent increase in women MPs. However, 48 women among 550 MPs is still unsatisfactory: "Political parties and the election law must change; there must be a women's quota."

Before the elections, Ka-Der had published its "Women's Political Programme". Its aims are as follows:

* State policies that are sensitive to gender equality and the necessary institutional structures

* Equal representation and participation of women in decision-making institutions

* Equal opportunities in education and teaching for women and girls

* The prevention of unjust treatment in the health system

* The end of violence towards women and girls (NZ/AG)