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Turkish judiciary battle: AKP 1, Gulenists 0

The minielection for the the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) had a clear result: The government won, the Gulen movement lost.

A demonstrator hold pictures of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen (R), during a protest against Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP), demanding the resignation of Erdogan, in Istanbul December 30, 2013. Erdogan swore on Sunday he would survive a corruption crisis circling his cabinet, saying those seeking his overthrow would fail just like mass anti-government protests last summer. Gulen denies involvement in stirring up the graft case, but he regularly censures Erdogan, a
A demonstrator holds pictures of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen (R) during a protest against Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, demanding Erdogan's resignation as prime minister, in Istanbul, Dec. 30, 2013. — REUTERS/Osman Orsal

About a month ago, I wrote an Al-Monitor article on "The next battle for the Turkish judiciary." That battle was fought on Oct. 12, and the winner was the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. The loser, at least in the eyes of many, was the AKP's former-ally-turned-enemy: the Gulen movement and its alleged network in the Turkish judiciary.

The battle in question was the minielection held to elect new members of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). This is a body that oversees the allocation, promotion or inspection of all judges and prosecutors all across Turkey. It is, in a sense, the government of the judiciary.

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