ANKARA, Turkey - The head of Turkey's Constitutional Court said on Friday a decision on a legal bid to shut down the main opposition party would not come before the middle of next week.
Prosecutors want the court to ban the Islamist Virtue Party on charges it is the centre of anti-secular activities. Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim, but strictly separates state and religion.
Markets are following the case closely, worried that a ban might destabilise a government implementing a $15.7 billion IMF-backed crisis lending package or trigger by-elections.
"We are going to resume work on Tuesday. A decision will not emerge before the middle of next week," chief judge Mustafa Bumin told reporters, according to the state-run Anatolian news agency.
Virtue is also charged with being the continuation of an outlawed party, Welfare, shut down in 1998 after the powerful military pressured the Islamist premier to leave office in 1997.
"We are considering the evidence piece by piece. We are examining whether some evidence requires clarification...This takes time," Bumin said.
If the panel of judges decides to close Virtue and expel 20 or more deputies from parliament, this would bring the number of vacant seats above five percent, which automatically requires by-elections.
The three-party ruling coalition, which has seen its popularity plummet since a political row sparked financial crisis and a currency devaluation, has pledged to the IMF to carry out a long list of economic reforms in return for a loan package.
04:33 06-15-01
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