An initiative by the Library of Women's Works in Istanbul gives way to a thesaurus on gender studies and related issues. "The thesaurus will enable a social accumulation of gender related knowledge."

According to Prof. Dr. Narlı, the decrease in votes for the AKP and the rise in support for other parties shows that voters are fed up with the AKP’s monopoly. She also criticised the lack of female representation in parties.

Following his death in a helicopter crash days before the elections, MP and BBP party chair Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu was buried yesterday.

According to writer Bora, the 5.6 point increase the MHP received in these local elections compared to 2004, is due to several factors: successful organisation, a party move to the centre, candidate profiles, and local reactions to Kurds.

Journalists Gökçer Tahincioğlu and Kemal Göktaş faced a prison sentence for reporting that police, secret service and the gendarmerie had been given permission to listen in to all phone conversations. They have been acquitted.

Assoc. Prof. Yeğen argues that neither Kurds nor Turks are happy with the AKP’s “embarrassed recognition” of the Kurdish question.

79 province capitals have male mayors. With the election of Çerçioğlu in Aydın and the election of a second woman, Şahin, in Tunceli, there are now two female province capital mayors. According to the provisional results, there are only 17 other female mayors at the district or town level.

Five Turkish-Armenian men and one woman have been voted into municipal councils in four district municipal councils in Istanbul.

Evaluating the election results, Türk from the DTP said that the “charity approach” of the AKP has not worked. The DTP has won in Diyarbakır, a city that Erdoğan wanted to win in, as well as in seven provincial and 51 district municipalities.

Local TV station reporter Akyol has been beaten by a group of alleged AKP members, as he was trying to cover the election results in Giresun. AKP lost the mayor in the city to main opposition CHP.

Province party chair Tekin has announced that the CHP is contesting the results in five districts of Istanbul as well as the town of Safranbolu.

Certain municipalities have greater symbolic value than others, and Prime Minister Erdoğan had told party members his list of targets, most of which have not been reached.