A political crisis is unfolding in occupied Cyprus, with the possibility of early elections being proposed by the opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and rejected by the ruling National Unity Party (UBP).
The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Turkey, has been unable to elect a new “parliament speaker” for 48 hours, throwing the government into disarray.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar abruptly returned from a visit to Turkey to address the crisis. According to Turkish Cypriot media, the “Turkish ambassador” to occupied Nicosia has also become involved in attempts to resolve the impasse.
The crisis deepened when Zorlu Tore, the outgoing “parliament speaker” from the UBP, refused to convene the “parliament” for a vote on his successor. Tore was later hospitalised with high blood pressure during crisis talks.
CTP leader Tufan Erhurman rejected a request to allow his party’s deputy speaker to convene “parliament”, stating that the CTP “will not become a prop for the UBP’s chair.”
The opposition party has instead submitted a proposal for early elections on December 15.
However, UBP “Prime Minister” Unal Ustel opposed the call for early elections, citing regional instability and ongoing economic challenges.
The political deadlock has drawn criticism from various quarters. People’s Party leader Kudret Ozersay suggested that if the CTP had joined other parties in withdrawing from “parliament”, the “illegal government” would not have survived.
Tatar, speaking to the Turkish Cypriot news agency TAK, called on “MPs” to be reasonable, arguing that the “country” needs services, not “elections”.
