“AK Party Empowers Women in Government with Female Deputies”
AK Party Women Deputies Gained Seats in Turkey’s Parliamentary Elections
In the recent parliamentary elections held in Turkey, 45 of the nominated women deputies from the AK Party successfully gained seats in the Parliament. The women who were nominated hailed from different backgrounds and levels of experience in politics.
One of the experienced women deputies who was elected was Derya Yanık, Minister of Family and Social Services who became a deputy from Osmaniye. Other successful candidates included Kurdish-origin candidate Ruken Kilerci from Ağrı, former MPs Zeynep Yıldız and Asuman Erdoğan, and ex-Women’s Branch President Lütfiye Selva Çam, all of whom were elected from Ankara.
AK Party Deputy Chairman Jülide Sarıeroğlu and Leyla Şahin Usta were elected as deputies from Ankara, while Belgin Uygur secured a seat from Balıkesir, Çiğdem Karaaslan from Samsun, and AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Özlem Zengin from Istanbul. Ayşen Gürcan, Chief Advisor to the President, was elected as a deputy from Eskişehir.
Suna Kepolu Ataman, a member of the AK Party Headquarters Women’s Branch MKYK, was elected as a deputy from Diyarbakır. Ataman, known as “hanim aga” due to her leadership of the Şeyhdoda tribe and the mother of a 51-year-old child, pledged to be the voice of women and to continue her struggle for them.
Journalist Şebnem Bursalı was elected as a deputy from İzmir, while former Miss Turkey Seda Sarıbaş Aydın also successfully gained a seat. Overall, the parliamentary election saw a diverse range of women from different backgrounds and experiences successfully enter the Turkish Parliament.
