Six of the 11 judges voted in favor of closing down the Justice and Development Party (AKP) -- one vote short of the required majority, court president Hasim Kilic said on Wednesday, July 30. But he added that the court was still sending the party a "serious warning" by cutting half of the treasury funds it was entitled to this year.
"I hope the party in question will evaluate this outcome very well and get the message it should get," Kilic said.
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And Turkish Labor Minister Faruk Celik hailed the Constitutional Court ruling as a victory for democracy, according to CNN Turk broadcaster.
The decision not to ban the party will also mean that no politicians will be banned. Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman had sought to have more than 71 AKP members banned from participating in party politics, including the President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(Deutsche Welle)
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