Commission for Gender Equality in İstanbul Municipality Rejected by AKP, MHP

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The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council has convened for the second time since Ekrem İmamoğlu took office as the Metropolitan Mayor.

In the second session of the council, the expertise commissions of the metropolitan municipal council have been designated.

The municipal council members from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), whose candidate for İstanbul Metropolitan Mayorship was İmamoğlu, proposed that a "Commission for Struggle Against Drugs" and a "Commission for Gender Equality" be established.

Both proposals of the party have been rejected by the municipal council members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The second session of the municipal council was also aired online on official Twitter account of Ekrem İmamoğlu:

İBB Meclisimizin 2. oturumunu gerçekleştiriyoruz. https://t.co/7ZKlBL9PHE

— Ekrem Imamoglu (@ekrem_imamoglu) 24 Nisan 2019

Rejection by AKP and MHP

The members from the AKP and MHP rejected the proposal for a commission on struggle against drug use on the ground that "policies on drugs could be developed under the title of Social Policies."

Those members also demanded that the name of "Commission for Gender Equality" be changed to "Commission on Women, Family and Children."

Number of commission members reduced

One of the proposals submitted by the CHP was to add "trade unions" to the name of the "Commission on Urban Economy and Professional Chambers." This proposal of the party was not accepted, either.

With the proposal of the AKP, which has the majority in the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council with 176 members, the number of commission members has been reduced to eight. That being the case, the CHP's rate of representation in commissions has also decreased. (EMK/SD)