Baykal: "When the constitutional court rules on the AKP closure case, it should announce its reasoning as soon as possible"

Commenting yesterday on the case seeking the closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said, "Whatever verdict the Constitutional Court gives on the case, the legal justification should be made public along with the verdict." Asked about claims that a decision to close down the party won't take effect without being published in the Official Gazette, the official state newspaper of record, Baykal said, "There is a special situation regarding this closure case. The case has been filed against the ruling party. There is a working political order. It isn't a question of halting enforcement of the ruling. That's why the legal justification should be made public immediately after the announcement of the court's decision on the case." Baykal also said that to avoid uncertainty, the court could quickly release a summary of the reasoning behind its decision as a precursor to releasing the full justification. Asked if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could run as an independent candidate if the AKP is shut down and general elections follow, he said, "It depends on the court decision. The decision should solve the problem without any need to resort to the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK)."