18/05/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak
11 candidates who signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention were elected: One parliamentary member from CHP, three from TİP and seven from Green Left Party will defend LGBTI+ rights in the parliament.
LGBTI+ Rights Convention, prepared and opened for signature by parliamentary candidates from all parties by Social Policies, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), was signed by totally 58 candidates from Republican People’s Party (CHP), Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) and Party of Greens and Left Future (Green Left Party).
Following the Presidential and Parliamentary election held on May 14, the Presidential election heads to a run-off on May 28, according to the tentative election results. None of the candidates were able to receive the absolute majority of the votes.
The parliamentary arithmetic was also finalized. People’s Alliance including Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), New Welfare Party (YRP), Great Unity Party (BBP) and supported by Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) by being nominated under the lists of AKP, obtained 312 out of 600 seats with 49 percent of the vote. 312 members of Nation Alliance, as a result of receiving 35 percent of the votes, will be in the parliament. And Labor and Freedom Alliance, which is the only alliance announcing its support to LGBTI+ rights, will be represented in the parliament by 66 members with 10,5 percent of the votes.
Although the number of parliamentary members may change due to ongoing objections and data entry by the Supreme Election Council (YSK), some candidates who signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention were elected to the parliament according to the tentative result.
Gökçe Gökçen from CHP was elected
Four parliamentary candidates from CHP in Ankara, İstanbul and İzmir signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention. Gökçen Gökçen was the only first-place candidate from CHP for the 2nd electoral district in İzmir, who signed the convention. Gökçen is on the way to parliament.
Three signatory parliamentary members from TİP
30 parliamentary candates from TİP’s lists signed the convention. Signatures from Balıkesir, İstanbul, Çanakkale, İzmir, Ankara, Mersin, Amasya, Eskişehir and Sakarya from where TİP nominated parliamentary candidates, were received for the convention. The Convention was also signed by the TİP Chairperson Erkan Baş and parliamentary members Three trans women also take place among the parliamentary candidates nominated by TİP. Esmeray Özadikti, Talya Aydın and Niler Albayrak also signed the convention.
TİP will be represented by four members in the parliament in the forthcoming period. Erkan Baş, Sera Kadıgil and Ahmet Şık are the parliamentary members who signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention and reelected. On the other side, Can Atalay, who was nominated as a candidate by TİP in Hatay, didn’t have the opportunity to sign the convention due to being in prison. Atalay was also elected as a parliamentary candidate.
Seven signatory parliamentary members from Green Left Party
24 parliamentary candidates from Green Left Party signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention. Signatures received from İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Yozgat, Diyarbakır, Muğla, Hatay, Mersin and Adana. There were a great number of parliamentary candidates who were nominated for the top spots, among the signatories.
The Green Left Party was expected to have nine signatory parliamentary members in the parliament in case of achieving the same rate of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in 2018. However loss of votes in Green Left Party also reflected to the number of signatory parliamentary members. Seven LGBTI+ Rights Convention signatory parliamentary candidates were elected for the parliament.
Burcugül Çubuk from İzmir, Kezban Konukçu, Özgül Saki and Sırrı Süreyya Önder from İstanbul, Sevilay Çelenk from Diyarbakır, Tülay Hatimoğulları from Adana and Perihan Koca from Mersin, are among the signatory parliamentary members elected.
Tags: human rights
