Turkish women struggle to get elected
Before the July 22 legislative vote, women's groups push for more equity on male-dominated ballots.
from the July 11, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Spain recently passed similar legislation and it also exists in some 100 countries around the world.
The AKP has blocked efforts in parliament to create gender parity laws and Erdogan has frequently expressed his opposition to a quota system.
"Although I would like to see a lot of women in parliament, I am against seeing someone on the list just based on their gender," says Tuncer Topsal, the AKP Istanbul deputy chairman.
"The main point is to get the best representation for the Turkish republic. To go from four percent representation to 50 percent at this point is unrealistic."
But critics say the current system leaves half of the Turkish population underrepresented and underserved and needs to be remedied.
"Currently, women's issues are not being dealt with properly in parliament," says Gila Benmayor, a columnist with Hurriyet, Turkey's largest daily newspaper.
"Once you have a quota in place, you can start dealing with women's issues."
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