Turkey's ruling party escapes ban Turkey's Constitutional Court has decided not to ban the ruling AK Party, accused of undermining the country's secular system. But the judges did cut half the AKP's treasury funding for this year. The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack on democracy. The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Court president Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on the AKP were a "serious warning". At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to vote in favour for the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban and five did not want to do so.
Turkey's Constitutional Court has decided not to ban the ruling AK Party, accused of undermining the country's secular system.
But the judges did cut half the AKP's treasury funding for this year.
The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack on democracy.
The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Court president Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on the AKP were a "serious warning".
At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to vote in favour for the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban and five did not want to do so.
So a pretty close call... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
I've given up speculating on what turkey will do and how it will develop. Too many competing factions, few of whom have the country's best interests at heart. They may claim they do, they might even believe it, but I'm not sure there's any concensus on what sort of country Turkey wants to be, and even if there was, there are a lot of people powerful and determined enough to prevent whatever it is from happening keep to the Fen Causeway
