Turkish judges make right choice

What had been a courtroom drama of great significance avoided becoming a political crisis in Turkey when the case to ban the governing AK party was narrowly rejected. The courtroom is no place to outlaw a party that won a general election.

Not only would a party that had been re-elected with 47 per cent of the vote last year have been destroyed but a ban on the prime minister Recep Erdogan and the President Abdullah Gul could have been introduced. Technically, the party could have reformed itself under a different name as its predecessors had done. The Welfare and Virtue parties, out of which the AKP was formed, were both closed with little fuss. But a verdict to banish a successful prime minister would have had political costs, both domestically and internationally.

Turkey is a vital country for Europe and any upheaval or political crisis there would have major consequences. The government has achieved some notable successes and suspicions of its "hidden agenda'' seem based more on politics than fact. The economy has recovered and Turkey is making its presence felt in the diplomatic stage. The court made the right decision but it should never have had to make it in the first place.