Emre Aköz from Sabah daily says whatever the court decides about the AK Party closure, its ruling will influence various segments of society. For media outlets that are against an ongoing investigation into Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network suspected of plotting to topple the government, he says they want the AK Party's closure because its closure and banning of some of its members from politics will lead to an ambiguous political environment in Turkey; everyone will say something and new political formations will emerge. "This will be a golden opportunity for them. They will not have to cover news about Ergenekon because news about political developments will be sufficient," he reasons. In Aköz's view, if the court rules against closure, this will shock some circles, which he terms "so-called secularists." "They will say the mass street rallies we held before last year's presidential elections did not help, we lost the presidential elections, we failed to block the way of the referendum for the election of the president by popular vote and the investigation of our pro-Ergenekon fellows continue," says Aköz, noting that undergoing successive failures hurts these circles and that only the AK Party's closure will help them overcome this trauma.
Milliyet's Fikret Bila accuses the government of attempting to make some moves -- such as lifting the headscarf ban at universities -- which it did not try to do during its first term in power. He relates this with the election of Abdullah Gül to the presidency and the change of the head of the Higher Education Board (YÖK) as developments that lifted the obstacles before the AK Party's initiative to remove the headscarf ban.
"Will the AK Party be closed or not?" asks Star's Mehmet Altan, noting that if Turkey is a country governed by law, it should not be closed. He says the real problem that should be discussed is whether or not there is law in Turkey. "If Turkey is governed by law, [the AK Party] will not be closed down, if there is no law, just the opposite will happen … victimization," explains Altan.
Zaman's Mustafa Ünal thinks the most important thing about July 28 is that the court will announce its ruling before the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) convenes in August to discuss military promotions, retirements and dismissals because the new political atmosphere may influence the decisions that will be made at the YAŞ meeting, he says. In Ünal's view, if the party is closed and some AK Party members are banned from politics, this will trigger a big debate: The legitimacy of the government will be under suspicion, and it is not yet known whether Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's prime ministry will end that day or whether he will serve as the acting prime minister until a new government is formed. "It is certain that we will face an equation with more than one unknown in the event of the AK Party being closed," Ünal says.
Bugün's Emin Pazarcı argues that there will be a set of problems awaiting Turkey whether or not the AK Party is closed. If it is closed, what will be the situation of the incumbent government? Will Erdoğan and Gül be able to agree on the name of the new prime minister? Will the AK Party be able to remain, united or will new political movements be formed? All of these Pazarcı mentions as some of the problems that will emerge. If it is not closed, he contends that the government will have much difficulty in overcoming the negativities of the period, which started with the launch of the closure case. "No matter what the court decision is, a difficult period awaits Turkey," he adds.
