Experts emphasize the importance of more young representatives participating in politics in countries with a high youth population like Turkey, stating that while politics, especially in terms of governance, is often associated with experience, representation is another equally important function of politics.
Experts note that there should be restrictions on the re-election of existing politicians to allow more young people to participate in politics, emphasizing that the success of young candidates in the recent elections is also promising for the future.
Ali Ekmekçi, Research Assistant at Üsküdar University's Department of Political Science and International Relations, evaluated the entry of young people into politics and the election of a 22-year-old candidate as mayor in the March 31 local elections.
"More young people participating in politics is important in countries like Turkey"
Ali Ekmekçi stated that Turkey is one of the countries where young people constitute a significant portion of the population. "Therefore, for every societal issue, the extent to which young people are involved is important. When evaluated in terms of active participation in politics, individuals under the age of 40 can be considered young at the election level. Politics, especially in terms of governance, although often associated with experience, has another equally important function: representation. In this sense, what should happen is that more young representatives participate in politics in countries with a high youth population like Turkey," he said.
"Young mayors will inspire other young people"
Political Scientist Ali Ekmekçi stated that the results of the March 31 local elections are a positive development in terms of increasing this representation, saying, "It is likely that young mayors will inspire other young candidates for future elections, and the number of young politicians will increase. Another importance of young people being in politics is that, as in every field, they can still act idealistically. It is a known fact that a challenging field like politics wears people down over the years. Therefore, the participation of more young people in such a field is very important in terms of providing the necessary idealism for social change."
Restrictions should be placed on the re-election of existing politicians…
Ali Ekmekçi noted that there should be restrictions on the re-election of existing politicians to allow more young people to participate in politics, stating, "Just as some political parties set quotas for female candidates, incentives such as age limits for candidates or a quota for a certain number of young candidates under 40 years old could be considered. However, greater youth participation in politics can only be achieved in the short term with such concrete incentives. In the long term, it is more essential for the general atmosphere in the country to become one where young people can look to the future with more hope. The success of young candidates in the recent elections is also promising for the future."