By Xinhua,
Ankara : Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan on Wednesday labeled as relieving a decision of the top court to reject a demand to close down the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.
Toptan said the ruling of Turkey’s Constitutional Court relieved everyone and “has raised Turkey’s democratic bar,” according to the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
Earlier in the day, the Constitutional Court rejected the chief prosecutor’s call to disband the governing party on charges that it had sought to undermine the secular system, but imposed financial sanctions on the party which enjoys strong support among Islamic voters.
Toptan, who is a senior member of the AK party, called on politicians to assess the reason of the decision and take lessons.
Turkey should adjust its laws and regulations regarding closure of political parties to that of Venice criteria, European laws and practices, and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights(ECHR), said the parliament speaker.
Meanwhile, AK Party deputy chairperson Nukhet Hotar Goksel said the decision of Constitutional Court was positive both for economy and stability, adding that the decision was very important.
Hasim Kilic, president of Turkey’s Constitutional Court, called on politicians to reach a compromise and make several constitutional amendments to eliminate problems in political party closure cases.
“They should make these amendments rapidly,” Kilic told reporters after he announced the decision not to dismantle the ruling AK Party.
Kilic said he believed everyone would exert necessary efforts to reduce political tensions in Turkey from now on.
On March 14, Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya asked the Constitutional Court to outlaw Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party and ban him together with 70 other party members from politics for five years.
The indictment against the AK Party includes a host of statements by party members as proof that the party is a focal point of anti-secular activities.
Critics believe the AK Party is intent on undermining the secular constitution and nature of the modern Turkish state and on intimidating political opposition.
Secularists were outraged at the AK Party’s recent attempt to lift a constitutional ban on headscarves at public universities. The move failed after the Constitutional Court overturned the amendment in June.
Headcoverings were banned in early 1980s by Turkey’s universities because they were seen as political symbols and conflicted with the nation’s secular governing system.
Under the Turkish constitution, qualified majority of votes is required to disband a political party. Accordingly, at least seven out of 11 members of the court need to vote in favor of the closure against the party.