Top court appoints rapporteur for writing HDP report on closure case

ANKARA

The Constitutional Court has tasked a rapporteur for penning the report on the closure case of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) after the party refused to make a verbal defense before the court on April 11.

The Grand Chamber of the Constitutional Court took note that the HDP officials did not appear at the hearing on April 11, during which they were supposed to make the verbal defense. The party refused to give its defense after the top court rejected its appeal to postpone the hearing to a post-election date.

The Grand Chamber instructed a rapporteur for writing the report that will outline the prosecutor’s indictment and the HDP’s written defense against accusations that it was linked to the PKK, a designated terror organization.

Constitutional Court President Zühtü Arslan will pick a date for a general discussion and voting over the report of the rapporteur, which will be distributed to the judges of the court in the coming period. It is not sure when the report will be finalized.

The HDP has already decided to run in the elections under the Green Left Party (YSP) due to the concerns that the process could end before the May 14 elections.

In the meantime, the Supreme Election Board (YSK) ruled that the HDP will no longer be able to be present in the balloting committees after it decided to run in the polls with the ticket of YSP. By law, the five political parties that had the most votes in the previous general election can have representation at the balloting committees on Election Day. With the departure of the HDP, the Felicity Party will have the representation.