15:45GMT—11:45AM/EST
TURKEY – AKP – CASE
Washington, 3 July (IranVNC)—Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) defended itself in the country’s top court on Thursday, against charges that it was spreading anti-secularism and trying to steer Turkey towards Islamic rule.
Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya is calling for the party’s closure, and for the ban of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and 70 other party members from joining any political party for five years.
At least seven of the 11 judges of the Constitutional Court must rule against AKP for it to be closed. The court will deliver a verdict in the coming months, AP reports.
Yalcinkaya, who laid out his case against the Erdogan’s ruling party on Tuesday, argued that it was evident the AKP wanted to impose Islamic rule on Turkey, citing the government’s attempt to permit Islamic-style head scarves at universities, a measure that the court said was unconstitutional last month.
AKP insists that it is not following an Islamic agenda, and supports its case by pointing out to reforms that paved the way for Turkey’s membership negotiations with the European Union.
The court case has heightened tensions in Turkey, whose ruling party is locked in a power struggle with secular groups supported by state institutions, including the judiciary.
Sources: Associated Press, Bloomberg.com
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.