There are only a few days left until the second round of the presidential elections in Turkey. On Sunday, the run-off between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is both head of government and AKP leader, and CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will take place. The opposition is calling with intense urgency to go to the polls in the second round as well and end the one-man regime.

Fidan Ataselim, general secretary of the platform "We will stop feminicide", also considers the second round of voting crucial and points out the danger that parties such as the Islamist Hüda-Par and the "New Welfare Party", with which the AKP has formed an electoral alliance and which directly oppose women’s gains, have entered parliament.

Erdoğan did not win in the first round

Speaking to ANF about the political situation after the 14 May elections, Fidan Ataselim said: "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not win in the first round. He did not even get 50 per cent of the votes and the presidential election is going to the second round. However, the parliamentary elections have been completed and, unfortunately, four Hüda-Par candidates on the AKP list have been elected as MPs. In addition, five candidates of the New Welfare Party received enough votes and became MPs. The MHP also received more votes. This panorama shows that we are faced with the most reactionary parliament in history. The fact that they got votes with the promise to abolish women's rights is an issue we should all think about. The most important reason for this is the anti-women policies of the political rulers in recent years."

Erdoğan's People's Alliance has united all anti-women forces, said Fidan Ataselim, adding: “The strongest faction in parliament is made up of people who consider violence against women in marriage legitimate, try to push women out of the public sphere and reject mixed-sex education.”

"Vote for Kılıçdaroğlu despite all differences of opinion"

Ataselim continued: “Therefore, the run-off election is crucial, especially for women, but the struggle will not end regardless of the result. We are confronted with a frightening picture, but it is possible to stop this development somewhere. The most important thing is that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan does not win the presidential election. The point is to get rid of the one man. In the run-off election on 28 May, our votes should come together for Kılıçdaroğlu, even if we usually disagree on other issues and disagree with his recent behaviour. So, we can still have a mechanism and a way to end the appalling situation in parliament."

Appealing to all women, Fidan Ataselim said: "That is why I say it is time to organise more. I say to women, let's gather our votes for Kılıçdaroğlu in the elections on 28 May, but for the following days, no matter what the result is, it is our organised force that will ensure that we can implement our own decisions and that they do not lay a hand on our rights. So, I call on all women to organise at the same time."