madam president regrettably i share the views of others that the action by the constitutional court to ban the dtp can only be viewed as a regressive step in turkey's democratisation efforts despite the very strong progress that is being made with recent democratic initiatives
the law banning the dtp has been used as has been said since nineteen eighty-two to ban some twenty-seven parties but of course political parties are an expression of the will of the people
they are the lifeblood of any democracy and it is time that legal reforms were introduced to end the banning of political parties
on the other hand all political parties and candidates seeking elected office in democracies must respect the basic principles of democracy and the rule of law and must commit to pursuing political objectives through exclusively peaceful means
growing up in northern ireland i saw too many people maimed and murdered in the pursuit of political goals
in a democracy politics must be conducted through the ballot box not with bullets and bombs
so like others i appeal to the turkish prime minister and government to ensure the rule of democracy is established to reform the constitution and to ensure that this action does not derail turkey's progress towards eu membership which i and my political party and government are proud to support
