TURKEY:The head of Turkey's top court accused its prime minister Tayyip Erdogan yesterday of using threats against her court that undermined the supremacy of the law and said she would file a complaint against him.
The prime minister has immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament, but Tulay Tugcu's unprecedented public attack highlights continued tensions between Mr Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government and Turkey's secular elite, including its judges.
Mr Erdogan infuriated the constitutional court on Tuesday by describing as "a disgrace" a ruling that forced the cancellation of Turkey's presidential election in parliament. He suggested the court verdict had been politically motivated.
"The prime minister's remarks ignore the supremacy of law, contain threats, insults and hostility and expose our court as a target [for attack]," Ms Tugcu, head of the constitutional court, told a rare news conference. "The prime minister's remarks exceed the bounds of respect."
Her decision to file a legal complaint is unlikely to have any practical consequences but will be an annoying distraction for Mr Erdogan as his ruling AK Party prepares for a July 22th general election, brought forward several months because of the crisis.
The move also accentuates the rift between Mr Erdogan and Turkey's secular establishment, which includes President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the powerful army general staff and opposition parties, who all distrust him because of his Islamist past.
Prosecutors must now decide if Mr Erdogan has a case to answer. In Turkey it is a crime to insult state institutions.
But only a a decision by parliament, where his AK Party has a big majority, could strip Mr Erdogan of his immunity from prosecution. - (Reuters)