Yücesoy: December 5 is a very special day

Dr. Uluğ İlve Yücesoy, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at the European University of Lefke (EUL), made statements on the occasion of December 5th, World Women’s Rights Day.

Yücesoy emphasized that December 5th is a very special day, dedicated to women worldwide, as it marks the granting of the right to vote and be elected in legislative (parliamentary) elections to female citizens in the Republic of Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Highlighting that a significant portion of women around the world did not possess these rights during the 1930s, Yücesoy stated that granting Turkish women the right to vote and be elected through a revolutionary step that served as a model for the entire world holds a unique significance for the Turkish nation.

Yücesoy continued her remarks, stating: “In the Republic of Turkey, which embraced the principle of ‘Sovereignty Belongs Unconditionally to the Nation’ through the War of Independence and the Republic Revolution, it was inconceivable for female citizens to lack the right to vote in parliamentary elections. The right to vote and be elected in local elections, granted earlier, was an incomplete right. In line with the principle of ‘Sovereignty Belongs Unconditionally to the Nation,’ a constitutional amendment to the 1924 Constitution granted women the right to vote and be elected in parliamentary elections. In the 1935 parliamentary elections, 18 women were elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, placing the Republic of Turkey as the second-ranked country in the world in terms of the number of female parliamentarians. On this special day, dedicated to women worldwide, it is also valuable to remember the historical roots of the international struggle for women’s rights. The attainment of suffrage for Turkish women finds its origins in the struggle for human rights, citizenship rights, and women’s rights articulated in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen. These ideals inspired the women’s rights movement of Ottoman women during the Constitutional Revolution, culminating in the Republic Revolution following the War of Independence.”

Yücesoy concluded by celebrating the anniversary of December 5th, World Women’s Rights Day, and the granting of suffrage to Turkish women, emphasizing the importance of protecting women’s rights in all areas of society.