A look at women and youth participation in Türkiye’s upcoming elections

The 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Türkiye will go down in history as a milestone in women’s political participation in the democratic process, capped by the youngest parliamentary candidate in the country ever.

18-year-old Nisa Alptekin, the parliamentary candidate for Izmir representing the governing AK Party, is symbolic of a significant surge in women and young people’s political participation in the electoral process.

With more candidates like Alptekin stepping up to contest the elections, Türkiye’s political landscape is poised to transform with increased representation.

Here is a look at women's participation in Turkish politics.

Women in parliament

Women have always played an important part in Türkiye’s politics.

In the last elections, women parliamentarians made up 18 percent of the 600 seats in Türkiye’s parliament. This number is likely to increase with more female candidates in the fray.

The AK Party's candidate list has 113 women among the 600 candidates, and female candidates take first place in Agri, Düzce, Edirne, and Osmaniye.

Since coming to the political stage, the AK Party under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership has also assigned several women in government positions , including the longest serving minister Nimet Bas with over 6 years in her posts.

The governing AK Party, after a legislation in 2013, also allowed women with headscarves to become a member of parliament and work at government institutions.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has 90 female candidates among its 600 candidates running for the parliament in Türkiye’s May 14th elections , and women are on the top three lists of 18 provinces.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has 147 women candidates among the 600 candidates, and seven women candidates ranked first in the list of CHP. Meanwhile, candidates of Saadet Party, Demokrat Party, Deva Party, and Gelecek Party are running on the main opposition CHP’s list in all provinces as members of the Nation’s Alliance.

The IYI Party party has 152 female candidates among the 600 candidates, and the PKK terror group linked HDP, has 193 women among the 490 candidates nominated from the party that entered the elections under the umbrella of the Yesil Sol Party.

Young participants running for office

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, as of 2021, the youth population between the ages of 15-24 constitutes around 16 percent of the total population in Türkiye.

Young people also actively participate in politics, with many candidates nominated by various parties. The average age of candidates in the upcoming election is also lower than in previous elections, with many young candidates running for office.

According to data from Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council, there has been a notable increase in the number of young candidates participating in Turkish elections. For example, in the 2018 parliamentary elections, 24.5 percent of the candidates were under 40. Furthermore, 143 candidates under 30 ran for office in the same polls.

In the upcoming 2023 elections, a significant number of young candidates have already declared their candidacy.

In the 2019 local elections, more than 2,300 young candidates were running for office nationwide.

Moreover, political parties in Türkiye have also recognised the importance of youth participation and are taking steps to engage with them more effectively. For example, many political parties now use social media platforms to communicate their message and connect with young voters.

History of women's participation

Women's political participation in Türkiye dates back to the early 20th century when Turkish women were actively involved in the struggle for independence.

In 1934, Turkish women gained the right to vote and run for office, and 18 women were elected to parliament the following year.

However, women's political participation had been limited until recent years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken steps to improve women’s political participation. One of his notable achievements is the introduction of a 2013 decision that required the AK Party to nominate at least 30 percent of women candidates for parliamentary elections, leading all other political parties to nominate more women candidates.

This law was a significant step forward for women's political representation in Türkiye. He appointed women to key government positions, including ministers, governors, and ambassadors.