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The Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey knew it would face many challenges when it won a landslide victory in the last election. But it is doubtful if party strategists believed a court hearing would be one of the most serious challenges not just for the party but for Turkish democracy.
The country's chief prosecutor has appeared before the Constitutional Court calling for the governing party to be closed down on the basis that it is trying to unravel the secular state. He is calling for the prime minister, president and 69 other party members to be banned from politics.
Regardless of the outcome, the case has severe implications for Turkey's application to join the European Union.
The view from Brussels is that such disputes should be resolved through the ballot box, not the courts. If the Turkish people have elected a government it is not for the courts or military to overturn that decision.
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