Association for Supporting and Educating Women Candidates (KADER) launched its campaign concerning women representation in politics with regard to the upcoming general and local elections this year.

Supported by known women from business and arts and culture circles, the campaign aims at creating public awareness on the issue by asking the question "Is it obligatory to be a man to enter the National Assembly?".

"Let's elect women candidates", it says.

In the first phrase of the campaign, open air displays, bills and posters will be distributed all around the country. Businesswoman Ümit Boyner as well as actress Meltem Cumbul, Lale Mansur and writer Meral Okay features on the flyers.

The second phase of the campaign will aim at creating consciousness. Educational seminars and supportive action will be directed to women candidates. Lastly, the association will make a call to all political parties to increase the number of woman candidates on their electoral lists.

KADER chair Seyhan Ekşioğlu lists their demands as follows:

* Political parties must encourage women to step forward as candidates for the elections.

* At least a third of the electoral lists must be of women candidates.

* Political parties represented in the National Assembly must give places to women in their executive committees.

The campaign underlines the fact that never in the history of the Turkish Republic the ratio of women MP's in the National Assembly surpassed 4.4 percent.

This is one of the lowest around the world. The problem worsens considering the local administarations as only 1 percent of the municipalities are run by women.(AO/EÜ)