Women's Platform for Equality (EŞIK) issued a written statement regarding the candidates to be determined in the local elections. The statement, titled "We want candidates aiming for equal representation and gender equality in local governments", said that "Women are represented in almost non-existent numbers at all levels in local governments. According to the 2019 local election results, the female representation rate in local governments was only 3 percent. However, one of the basic conditions of democracy is equal representation."

'50 percent of candidates should be women'

In order to ensure equal representation and implement equalizing policies, the statement underlined that at least 50 percent of the candidates nominated by the parties in the local elections must be women. "Therefore, we expect political parties to nominate women for mayors from provinces, districts and towns where they have a high chance of being elected. Candidates to be nominated for municipal councils and provincial councils should be ranked as one woman and one man. Women should not be charged an application fee for candidacy applications, and practices such as 'compulsory donations' should be abandoned. Again, as a requirement of democracy, the candidate selection process should be conducted transparently."

The statement continued: "We insist that all candidates, men and women, embrace gender equality, be against all kinds of discrimination, and respect human, women, nature and animal rights. We expect candidates to be well-formed on these issues and to have proven this in the women's organizations and platforms they contribute to, academy, municipalities, unions, parties and democratic mass organizations. Considering the country's deepening problems, we insist that the candidates be people who defend secularism and the rule of law, respect science, look after the interests of the people and nature, not the capital, and aim to fight against poverty. We want to see candidates who come from the ecology movement, advocate climate justice, and can develop policies for the effects of the climate crisis and all disasters. We stress that candidates should be people who know the problems of the places they aspire to govern and who have the vision of producing solutions to these problems, who are reliable, innovative, peaceful and competent."

'If women win, democracy will win'

The statement said: "We can achieve the democratization that we all long for, solving the problems of the people and implementing the principle of equal citizenship, starting from the local level. We defend our right to equal representation in local governments and everywhere! We say that if women win, democracy and the country also win!"