Elections in the north explained
Dear friends,
This is a very quick guide to the current elections in the north, with info taken from a couple of different sources which I shall name below.
Most importantly, it is imperative to know how the system works in the north and the significance of these elections for all Cypriots.
Political system:
Unlike the system in the south which is a unitary presidential representative republic, whereby the president is both head of state and head of government, the politics of the north takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state and the prime minister is head of government and of a multi-party system.
The political system can be compared to Greece’s, with one major difference, whoever is elected as president (i.e head of the Turkish Cypriot community) will be representing the community during negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
What happened last Sunday?
Last Sunday, the first round of the elections took place (let us not forget that they were postponed in April due to the corona virus). For many, these elections are essentially a referendum over the future of the Cyprus peace process and the relationship Turkish Cypriots want to have with Ankara.
Not long after the first round, CTP (The Republican Turkish Party) announced its unanimous support for Mustafa Akıncı (incumbent president).
Results of the first round, actual votes and percentages
Candidate in Ballot Order Votes First Round % Vote First Round
Ersin Tatar 35,872 32.34
Tufan Erhürman 24,075 21.71
Erhan Arıklı 5,999 5.41
Fuat Çiner 329 0.30
Arif Salih Kırdağ 282 0.25
Ahmet Boran 84 0.08
Mustafa Ulaş 69 0.06
Alpan Uz 155 0.14
Kudret Özersay 6,365 5.74
Mustafa Akıncı 33,058 29.80
Serdar Denktaş 4,627 4.17
What’s happening tomorrow?
Turkish Cypriots will once again make their way to the polls tomorrow, to vote for either Mustafa Akıncı or Ersin Tartar (current prime minister).
Notes
- Friends of Cyprus: Cyprus versus Turkey Briefing (email briefings – let me know if you want to receive them)
- https://www.financialmirror.com/2020/10/01/turkish-cypriot-vote-split-over-ankaras-influence/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Northern_Cyprus