Virtue Party (Turkish: Fazilet Partisi, FP) was an Islamist political party established in December 1998 in Turkey. It was found unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and then banned in June 2001, for violating the secularist articles of the Constitution. After the party's ban, the party MPs founded two parties: reformist Justice and Development Party (AKP) and traditionalist Felicity Party (SP).
Founders of Virtue Party were also active members of National Order Party (MNP), National Salvation Party (MSP) and Welfare Party (RP). The Virtue Party was the first party in this tradition to have genuine intra-party democracy.
Merve Kavakçı, the female elected MP who was banned from swearing her oath in Turkish Grand National Assembly because she wore headscarf, was a Virtue Party member.
Famous quotes containing the words virtue and/or party:
“What is called common sense is excellent in its department, and as invaluable as the virtue of conformity in the army and navy,—for there must be subordination,—but uncommon sense, that sense which is common only to the wisest, is as much more excellent as it is more rare.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“At every party there are two kinds of people—those who want to go home and those who don’t. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other.”
—Ann Landers (b. 1918)