ANKARA - The Constitutional Court decided on Friday to listen to defense of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) before it decides whether or not to put precautionary measure on duties and authorities of AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Following the meeting of the Constitutional Court delegation, Constitutional Court Deputy Chairman Hasim Kilic told reporters that they debated the request of Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu to close the party and to end chairmanship of Erdogan.
Kilic said, ''we decided unanimously to re-examine the request to put precautionary measure on Erdogan's authorities after the party presents its defense and to give 15 days of time to the party to prepare its defense.''
Asked what was the decision about the closure case, Kilic said that they made the pre-examination and that they started to prepare a minute on the process of the closure case.
The minute and the indictment will be conveyed to the AK Party for its pre-defense. The party will present its pre-defense within a month regarding the closure case. The Constitutional Court will decide whether or not to give extra time to the party if the AK Party asks for the extension of this time.
Under this decision of the Constitutional Court, Erdogan can join the elections as the leader of the AK party. Thus, discussions on a change in the ballots have been concluded.
Supreme Court Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu had claimed that AK Party did not fulfill the legal requirements of the warning made by the Constitutional Court.
Kanadoglu had said that Erdogan ''cheated against the laws'' by not leaving the leadership although he quitted foundership membership and claimed that Erdogan could not be a member of any party due to its existing record of conviction.
Asking the party to be closed under the second paragraph of the article 104 of Political Parties Law, Kanadoglu had also requested that precautionary measure should be put on duties and authorities of Erdogan.