Feminism advances to east: women’s party to be established in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Benal Yazgan, founding president of the Women's Party initiative, said on March 3 that Turkish women want to have a voice in discussions on matters concerning Turkey.

"Like any political party, we are concerned about all the problems of our country. However, we would also like to reflect women's point of view in the country's administration," she said.

Yazgan said that the initiative, which had been carrying out studies for almost a year, would soon become a political party. Noting that it was not clear if the initiative would be able to complete such process before the general elections in June, Yazgan said the movement aimed at supporting at least 2 independent women candidates in the upcoming elections

"We are not a feminist party, but we are an equalitarian movement," she said. Describing women's approach to matters as more "detail-oriented" than men, Yazgan said she believed women's participation would enrich and soften politics. "We do not want tough politics. What we want is more humane policies and discourses," she added, cumhuriyet.com reported.