President Erdoğan: "We will continue to work on resolving our women's issues, particularly violence against women, in the coming period."
In a video message marking the 87th anniversary of Turkish women gaining the right to vote and be elected, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "We are working to ensure that our women enjoy their rights and freedoms without any discrimination."
President Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye granted the right to vote and to be elected to women who made history during the Turkish National War of Independence before many European countries and added:
"The fact that our women obtained this right considerably earlier than their European counterparts is a significant indicator of our nation's view on women. Furthermore, we believe it is especially significant that this occurred via the normal course of politics, not by force or coercion. Unfortunately, we see that the ideal developed by Ghazi Mustafa Kemal, the founder of our republic, was not maintained by the pro-tutelage mindset that succeeded him. Those who betrayed Ghazi's legacy in every area of life, from economics to education, hindered efforts to advance women's rights as well. Those who discriminate against our women based on what they wear have hindered our women's ability to exercise their constitutional rights, particularly the right to be elected. Those who advocated for democracy and equality via words alone were unable to accept our women's presence in politics, as well as in the public sphere. For over 60 years after Ghazi's death, our women have never had a representation rate in parliament of more than 4%. This grave picture, which does not do justice to our state, our nation, or the heroic resilience of our women throughout the National War of Independence, shifted only in 2002 when the Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power."
Noting that while the number of woman deputies was 24 in 2002 and the women's representation rate was 4.4 per cent, this figure increased to 50 in 2007 and the women's representation rate increased to 9.1 per cent, President Erdoğan said, "In the General Elections of June 12, 2011, the figure increased to 79, and the rate increased to 14.4 per cent. And while there were 98 women deputies elected in the General Elections of June 7, 2015, women's representation in the parliament reached 17.82 per cent. Women made up 104 of the 600 deputies in the parliament following the most recent elections on June 24, 2018."
President Erdoğan concluded his message as follows:
"Despite the fact that our women obtained the right to vote and to be elected in 1934, it was during the AK Party tenure when they began using their rights freely. The majority of women's gains in the struggle for political and social involvement are attributed to the AK Party. If we were to tally all our efforts on women's rights one by one, we would not be able to do it in a few hours. While some circles are after abusing the word woman and women themselves whenever the chance presents itself, we strive to ensure that our women truly enjoy their rights and freedoms without prejudice. Inshallah, we will continue to work on resolving our women's issues, particularly violence against women, in the coming period. As the Chairman of AK Party and President of Türkiye, I will continue to support our women in their fight for rights and justice. I applaud our AK Party's Women's Branch Administration on its efforts to guarantee our women's effective and broad participation in politics. With these sentiments, I congratulate the Turkish women on their 87th anniversary of acquiring the right to vote and to be elected and extend my love and respect to all our women."