Turkey Ruling Party Rejects Charges It Undermines Secularism

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ANKARA (AP)--Turkey's ruling party, facing closure by the country's highest court on charges of anti-secular activity, Monday rejected accusations it has been steering Turkey toward Islamic rule.

Turkey's top prosecutor has accused the party of violating constitutionally protected secularism and wants the party, which holds a majority in Parliament, closed down.

Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya has also demanded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and 70 other party officials be barred from politics for five years. The list also includes President Abdullah Gul.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/Ne...s%20Secularism

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Re: Turkey Ruling Party Rejects Charges It Undermines Secularism

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan true colors are starting to show and the pressure is rising.

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Re: Turkey Ruling Party Rejects Charges It Undermines Secularism

How serious is this?

Turkey consumer morale at series low, jobless rises

A slowing economy coincides with political uncertainty over a court case aimed at closing down the ruling AK Party. Along with the negative effects of uncertainty itself, economists also fear economic reform will be further delayed and if early elections are called, budget balances could suffer.


http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200806...y-955c2a1.html

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Re: Turkey Ruling Party Rejects Charges It Undermines Secularism

Turkish intellectuals agree judicial intervention in politics undermines Turkey's fragile democracy.

"Sooner or later the whole system will crumble because it does not meet the demands of a liberalizing society and world which Turkey wants to be a part of. They (secularist elite) are shooting their last bullets, but they still have lots of bullets left," said Dogu Ergil, an expert on Turkish politics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080617/..._hearings_dc_1