The government of Turkey narrowly avoided collapse when the nations Constitutional Court fell one vote short of banning the ruling AKP party for violating the long standing tradition of secularism.
Turkey is somewhat unique in the Islamic world for having a strong tradition of secularism rather than the more common religiously-oriented government. This secular tradition goes back to the founding of the nation in 1923.
It has been threatened recently by the election of the AKP (which is an Islamic party) to power. Those who support the tradition of secular government have been concerned that the party is moving to turn Turkey into a theocratic regime.
But it was not a complete win for the party as noted by the International Herald Tribune:
“And while the ruling was widely viewed as a victory for Erdogan, and in turn for Turkish democracy, the court reined the party in, imposing a strong but not fatal sanction to cut its public financing in half and issuing a “serious warning” that it was steering the country in too Islamic a direction. Legislation pressed by the party that would have allowed women in head scarves to attend universities, for example, raised suspicions about its agenda.”
This does seem to be a balancing act on the part of the Court, hoping to avoid either side rising up in protest. The army is firmly secular but the government is very popular with the largely-Muslim population.
Given the strategic importance of Turkey, this is something to keep an eye on.