Erdoğan: We aim for a third of council members to be women

Speaking at the award ceremony of an elocution competition organized by the AK Party women’s branch at AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Erdoğan said his party wants an increase in the number of women in politics to better reflect the overall female population in Turkey. Noting that the elocution competition organized by the women’s branch, which was called “I am also at the rostrum,” was a first in Turkey, Erdoğan said he was glad to see women on the political stage and to witness them taking an active role in politics.

He stated that the AK Party is determined to take great steps to increase the participation of women in politics and that his party has raised the bar for the local elections, aiming for a third of city council members to be women. With 28,000 female volunteers currently working at the party’s provincial, district and town organizations, Erdoğan said the AK Party has one of the world’s greatest women’s branches, with 1.2 million female members in total.