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Turkey's Erdogan wins court fight
ANKARA, Turkey -- The leader of Turkey's ruling party Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cleared another legal hurdle in his bid to be officially recognised as the country's prime minister. Erdogan's position as leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) party was deemed invalid by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday. But the decision was rescinded on Thursday, with the court saying Erdogan could be re-elected without hinderance. Previously, judges had argued that a technicality meant Erdogan had not been party leader two months before November's general election poll. Wednesday's decision had been a surprise, Reuters said Erdogan's AKP overwhelmingly won the November 3 election. His conviction for Islamist sedition prevents him from becoming prime minister. His deputy, Abdullah Gul, took the post. Erdogan was quoted by Reuters as saying: "The barricades that are still placed in front of democracy in my country sadden me. "However much I praise God that I have been given a role in the struggle for democracy and freedom in this country, it is not enough." The legal wrangle is the latest Erdogan has faced over the years. He is banned from taking the premiership's role because of a 1990s conviction for reading religious poetry deemed to incite racial hatred. The former Istanbul mayor still faces a possible ruling by the high election board on whether he can stand in a by-election in March which will help him in becoming prime minister. And the Constitutional Court is still weighing a move to close the AKP. But Erdogan remains defiant and optimistic. "Some of my friends ask me out of good will 'have you not been tired out (by all the legal obstacles) yet?'" Erdogan added. "I tell them I swear to God I have not been exhausted yet."
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