The Greens Party was pleased that the Constitutional Court did not close the Justice and Development Party (AKP). They say it is now time to support the Democratic Society Party (DTP), which is going through the same ordeal.
The party co-chairperson Ümit Şahin said that party closings were basically antidemocratic practices that are obstacles for social dynamics and make impossible legitimate political struggle.
“The AKP is under obligation to democratize the political arena”
Şahin said not closing the DTP would also be a strong message in the direction of solving the Kurdish problem democratically and without violence. He furthermore added that AKP’s responsibility was to take the right steps and make the political arena in Turkey more democratic and open. Otherwise, he said, these crises were liable to repeat themselves.
Şahin asked the government to take the following steps:
- Closing parties must be made difficult by making the necessary constitutional changes. The Venice Criterion, which limits the reasons for party closing to racism and openly using violence, must be accepted. The concept of banning must be eliminated from politics.
- All the restrictions in the Political Parties Law must be removed.
- The existing in equalities between the political parties (such as the unjust treasury aid) must be eliminated.
- The Election Law must be democratized, the existing obligations regarding the party obligations to enter the elections must be changed and the practice of the ten percent election barrage must be discontinued.
- All the deputy immunities other than the freedom of expressing one's opinions must be removed. The deputies and the state officials could be tried for human rights violations and fraud.
- Every legal regulation and political obstacle that turns politics to a professional job, to something that only those with enough money can do, must removed and the rule of the party leaders must be ended. (EÜ/EZÖ/TB)
