ANKARA - Speaking at her party's women's election manifesto program, DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları emphasized that they are the only party advocating gender equality and said: "Co-chairship and equal representation do not exist in any party."

 

People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) announced its women's election manifesto within the scope of the 31 March Local Elections. Many women, as well as co-chair candidates, attended the event held in a hotel in Ankara. Women attended the event in their traditional wear. Posters in many languages, especially Kurdish, were hung in the hall where the event was held. The posters also drew attention to the isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

 

The program started after a moment of silence to commemorate those who lost their lives in the struggle for democracy and freedom. DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları stated that they took the women's election manifesto from the five thousand years struggle of Kurdish women until today. Hatimoğulları said: "It is such a strong manifesto that we, women, will present to you our libertarian, ecological, democratic understanding of municipalism, against the male-dominated system in our localities, against the urban life determined by the male-dominated system."

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları 

 

'WE OWE A LOT TO KURD MOTHERS'

 

Emphasizing that women paid a great price for Co-chairship and equal representation, Hatimoğulları said: "From Lilith to Inanna, to the beloved women who fought scientifically and at the same time socially in the Medieval inquisition courts, who risked paying the price and did not step back, to the witches of the Middle Ages, thousands of greetings to you. They were today's workers. We owe a lot to Clara Zetkin, Rosa Luksemburg, Behice Boran, Şirin Tekeli, Sakine, Sêvê, Hevrîn Xelef, Jîna Mahsa Amina. We owe a lot to the Mothers for Peace, to the Kurdish mothers who insist on the struggle for peace despite receiving the bodies of their children by PTT cargo.

 

We owe a lot to the women of Rojava, who made tremendous contributions and gained experience to the women's movements in the Middle East and North Africa in the 21st century. We are indebted to Gültan Kışanak, Sebahat Tuncel, Ayla Akat, who are currently in prison and have made important contributions to our new term achievements, and to Dear Aysel Tuğluk, who was insisted on being held in prison until the end of her illness, and to all our sisters in prison in their person. We send our greetings and love to them from here.”

 

'WE WILL BE YOUR VOICE AND YOUR WORD'

 

Hatimoğulları pointed out the statement of imprisoner politician Gültan Kışanak, candidate for Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, that "it is not easy to create a libertarian women's movement from a feudal society" and said: "We will carry out the campaign of our sister and women comrade in women's prison in a way befitting Kışanak and the women's movement. Dear Gültan, we will be your voice and your word. If you have left us this magnificent legacy with 5 thousand years of struggle experience, we will leave the same experience and legacy. Dear women, DEM Party is the only party that defends gender equality. Co-chairship and equal representation are not available in any party, and there is no party that promotes women. We did not see Co-chairship and equal representation as symbolic; We have also made significant efforts to ensure that women's politics contributes to change and transformation in Turkey."

 

'DEM PARTY IS THE ONLY PARTY THAT DEFENDS EQUAL REPRESENTATION'

 

Stating that the DEM Party is the only party advocating gender equality in Turkey politics, Hatimoğulları said: "We also made significant efforts to ensure that women's politics plays an active role in contributing to mixed politics, social change and transformation in Turkey. The service areas of local governments In addition to the construction of production areas, city streets and pavements with an ecological, democratic and women's liberation approach, we have constantly aimed for social change and transformation here.”

 

GULTAN KIŞANAK WAS HEARD

 

After Hatimoğulları's speech, DEM Party Women's Assembly Spokesperson Halide Türkoğlu read the manifesto. A video about imprisoned politician Gültan Kışanak was screened. Women co-chair candidates took a group photo at the end of the program. Slogans of "Jin, Jîyan, Azadî" were frequently chanted during the program.