PM wants ’1,000 women’ picks

Among 65 municipalities, only Ayşe Bahar Çebi was nominated in Ordu. They have no other female nominees in thousands of counties and villages. Sibel Çarmıklı in Beşiktaş, Istanbul; Filiz Ulusoy in Kalecik, Ankara, Işıl Zeliha Gençoğlu in Nilüfer, Bursa and Ayşe Güney in Mahmudiye, Eskişehir are possible names.

The AKP Women’s Branch Head Fatma Şahin is disturbed the most by this picture of "women have no name." So she took the stage this week behind closed doors and fiercely criticized the male dominant AKP parliamentary group for the number of female AKP deputies being barely around 30 although the party has 338 seats. The number of female candidates in thousands of counties is less than ten. Şahin lashed out at the male AKP deputies:

"Mr. prime minister you are giving the utmost support to women. I thank you for that. But these [male deputies] have shattered us into pieces. They crossed out females in the candidate lists. So we were not able to nominate females as much as we do. We as the women’s branch showed reaction but couldn’t make it."


SECOND ARTICLE

Applause then silence

After Şahin left the bench, male deputies gave her a strong applause. AKP representatives liked her fierce yet emotional speech defending women. This time Erdoğan raising his voice said, "You are crossing out female candidates on the list and then coming here to applaud your friend when she complains about the procedure." The applause suddenly stopped, representatives were shocked by Erdoğan’s reaction.

He was not through yet. "I want a total of a thousand women candidates from you," Erdoğan scolded the AKP’s male representatives in the room. "É Exactly a thousand female candidatesÉ We have decided mayor candidates. However, we still have time for town council membership. I want a thousand women candidates. Let’s increase the number of females on town councils. Find a thousand females, encourage them and nominate them for town council. If you cannot, I will find and nominate themÉ"

Erdoğan’s remarks gave hope to Şahin and other female AKP deputies. Now the AKP administrators are looking for a thousand female candidates for town councilsÉ

Will we see a thousand women in town councils as Erdoğan wishes? Considering his statement at the parliamentary group meeting, Mr. Prime Minister seems determined. However, let’s not forget that a couple months ago he also had said "We will increase the number of female mayoral candidates." Erdoğan asks but the party administration doesn’t do it. I wonder if he is doing so just to conquer the hearts of angry female party members. We’ll see this in the upcoming daysÉ

"A thousand women" will in a way be a test of sincerity about the AKP’s perspective on women.

Çankaya pick leads to strife in CHP

The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has determined its nominee for Çankaya municipality. He is city planning expert Bülent Tanık. Is there a consensus in the upper administrations level? The answer seems "no!" There were discussions about two nominees in the CHP Central Executive Body.

The CHP Leader Deniz Baykal had suggested his deputy leader, Yılmaz Ateş.

But the CHP General Secretary Önder Sav fiercely reacted against it. A Çankaya fray took place in the body. "You are everywhere. Parliamentary group acting leader’s seat is emptied... you are there. Mayor’s seat is empty... you are there," Sav criticized Ateş. Baykal stepped in and said, "Cut it out. Everyone should tell his nominee." Sav replied, "I am Ankara deputy. It’s my duty to shape up the Ankara candidate list as the general secretary of the party. I take all political burden and responsibility here." Baykal considering possible growling inside the executive body did not resist much and approved Tanık’s nominationÉ

THIRD ARTICLE

Becoming a feminist

A bill on gender equality was being discussed at a Parliament plenary session. The AKP Ankara deputy Aşkın Asan told the story of how she became a feminist. "My father was a member of the village council. I was 15 then. All members of the council were males. They determined the most important issue of the village as young men’s not having a football field."

"But women for decades had been carrying huge hampers for five or six kilometers. None of the members of the council thought this could be a problem too. If there had been a female member, then the issue could’ve most certainly been resolved.

At that time, I became a feminist my friendsÉ Of course the story goes on today as wellÉ"