ANKARA - Stating that they will send trustees in the local elections, DEM Party Women's Assembly Spokesperson Halide Türkoğlu said: "This is women's time, cities will be women's cities. We are ready to build women's municipality."

 

Halide Türkoğlu, Spokesperson of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Women's Assembly, held a press conference at her party's headquarters before the meeting of women provincial co-chairs. Türkoğlu started her speech by pointing out the attacks on the Middle East, Africa, Northern and Eastern Syria, and pointed out that the barrels of the guns were directed at the people in the war.

 

‘WE CANNOT LOOK ON TO THE WAR'

 

Stating that women and children are most affected by the war, Türkoğlu said: “Many issues such as migration, harassment, rape, exposure of the women body are included in this war and are growing exponentially. We will continue to insist on peace, despite everything, despite all these policies of oppression. Just as we do not stand by as people in the world are massacred, we will not stand by as the Turkish state responds to the Kurds’ demand for peace and honorable struggle with war. We will continue to raise demands for peace.”

 

'WE WILL INCREASE THE STRUGGLE'

 

Expressing that they, as women, have made great efforts to end the wars, Türkoğlu stated that they have paid a serious price to establish peace and that they will continue to make great efforts. Pointing to the hunger strikes and justice watch actions that started to ensure the physical freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, Türkoğlu said: "We will increase the struggle so that this struggle will lead to the establishment of an honorable peace."

 

'WOMEN WILL GIVE THE EFFECTIVE ANSWER'

 

Stating that women continue to be murdered by men on the streets and in the workplace, but men are still protected, Türkoğlu emphasized that the judicial process works against women. Türkoğlu said: "We, women, will be the ones who will give the effective answer to this government."

 

WE WILL RULE

 

Türkoğlu said: “We, women, say we are here for the upcoming elections. As DEM Party women, we will govern our city against the trustee policy that is far from democracy and gender equality municipalism. We will continue our work with this determination and belief. In Turkish politics, our party is in a decisive position on the agenda of the upcoming local elections.

 

WE ARE COMING TO BUILD WOMEN'S MUNICIPALITY

 

We do not have to have profit-seeking, plundering, monist, sexist parties and municipalities in any city of the country. We are coming to build women's municipalism. Without women's municipalism, neither service nor work can reach the society. As we have been saying for a long time in the west of the country, we will take as a basis a model in which our people will win. We set out to win and we will represent our cities at every stage of management.

 

WE WILL ELIMINATE TRUSTEES

 

We will meet with women and organize meetings in Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Serhat and Amed regions. We will try to implement our own solutions together. In these studies, we will talk about our election strategy, our local governments strategy, our election declaration, and how we will be stronger in preparation for local elections. By expanding our women's organization, we will strongly reflect women's will in local elections. As we go to local elections, we must prepare for this process with the strongest women's organization. We will strengthen our provincial and district women's councils, and we will build women's councils in places where we do not have women's councils. We are the strongest defenders of our principle of co-chair and equal representation. We never compromise on our principles, we will send the trustees, we will sweep the trustees from our cities. When we win, women will win. The oppressed, laborers, and ignored people of this country will win, the cities will win. The time will come to build free cities.

 

There is a new kind of fascism in Turkey. It targets women the most and divides us the most. This situation is much more visible in local elections. Let's be careful about fascism trying to establish itself through us, let's not allow it. Dear friends, let's not forget that we need to reach out from house to house, street to street. As provincial co-chairs, the biggest responsibility is yours. You are the pioneers of this work. Our provinces are entrusted to you, and I salute you with this determination."