Coalition on cards post-Northern Cyprus snap elections

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

With no party winning enough votes to emerge as the ruling party in snap parliamentary elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a coalition government is likely, unofficial results indicated Monday.

The National Unity Party (UBP), led by current Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, got the most votes, with 35.59 percent out of the 99 percent total votes counted so far, said Narin Sefik, head of the Supreme Election Committee.

Six of the eight parties running got past the 5 percent threshold needed for representation in parliament.

In the vote count, the National Unity Party was followed by the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) with 20.91 percent, People's Party (HP) with 17.08 percent, Communal Democracy Party (TDP) with 8.65 percent, Democrat Party (DP) with 7.85 percent, and Renaissance Party (YDP) with 6.98 percent.

The current government coalition is made up of the UBP and DP, with four independent deputies, totaling 27 deputies in the 50-seat chamber.

Northern Cyprus has over 190,500 eligible voters.

The capital, Lefkosa, has the most deputies in parliament, with 16, followed by Gazimagusa with 13 deputies, Girne with 10, Iskele with five, Guzelyurt with four, and Lefke with two.

Since the last general elections of January 2013, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has had three coalition governments led by three different prime ministers.

In November, parliament passed a motion by a vote of 38-2 calling for early elections. Under the motion, general elections originally planned for July 2018 were moved up seven months to Jan. 7.