Rapporteur appointed on lawsuit against HDP

The head of Turkey's Constitutional Court on March 19 appointed a rapporteur on a lawsuit filed by the Supreme Court of Appeals' chief prosecutor for the closure of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

According to information received by Anadolu Agency, the examining process of the indictment has started and a rapporteur was appointed.

The rapporteur must complete his report on the first examination and present it to the Constitutional Court.

After that, the delegation will make the first examination of the case and decide whether the indictment is accepted. According to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, this period cannot exceed 15 days after the indictment is sent.

If accepted, the indictment will be sent to the HDP for pre-defense. The HDP has to plea within the time allowed by the Supreme Court.

The party, however, will be able to apply for an extension of this period. The additional time request will be decided by the Constitutional Court.

After the preliminary defense is given by the party, the Supreme Court Chief Public Prosecutor Bekir Sahin will present his opinion on the merits.

Sahin's opinion will be sent to the HDP. Then, he will make a verbal statement and HDP officials will make a verbal defense.

Following this process, the reporter will collect information and documents on the case and prepare a report on the merits.

The delegation of the Constitutional Court, comprising15 members, will decide on the closure case of the HDP.

One of the potential outcomes of the lawsuit is the closure of the HDP.

Instead of a permanent dissolution, the 15-member Constitutional Court may decide to partially or completely cut off state aid to the party, depending on the severity...