Elections in Northern Cyprus
Encyclopedia
Elections in Northern Cyprus, also referenced as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
or TRNC, bring into office a president and a legislature which exercise de facto leadership over the northern 36.27% (3,355 km2./1,295 sq.mi.) of the island of Cyprus
, encompassing the territory of the internationally-unrecognized TRNC.
), has 50 members, elected for a five year term by mitigated proportional representation
. The territory has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties
and another party which is also electorally successful. Although the voters are described as Turkish Cypriots
, the Turkish
mainland daily Sabah
reported that in the 2009 elections only 38% of those entitled to vote were Turkish Cypriot, while the remaining 62% were Turkish citizens living in TRNC as settlers.
In the presidential election, a candidate must obtain at least 50% of the votes in order to secure a first-ballot victory. Upon failing to do so, the two top candidates compete in a runoff election, with the winner assuming the presidency.
The mitigated proportional representation system in use for legislative elections obligates each party to cross the 5% of the total vote election threshold
in order to be seated in the 50-member parliament, which is chosen from five electoral districts, Lefkoşa (Nicosia
), Gazimağusa (Famagusta
), Girne (Kyrenia
), Güzelyurt (Morphou) and İskele (Trikomo
).
In the parliamentary elections, voters choose individual candidates with two options in the manner of voting: a party-line vote which, in effect, means a vote for each candidate from that party in that election district or, alternatively, the voter may choose different MP candidates from various parties. In this type of mixed voting, the voter may not choose more than the number of MPs from that district.
Residents of northern Cyprus are eligible to stand for election and vote in the national elections of the Republic of Cyprus (The Constitution states that a Turkish-Cypriot should be Vice-President of the Republic), but such adherence to original principles has not been put into practice since the island's division in 1974. However, Turkish-Cypriots living in the Greek areas, do participate in the elections.
with a 56% share of the vote. The previous and at that point only president of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş
, chose not to run again.
In 2009 President Mehmet Ali Talat has claimed that in 1990 and 1998 Turkish government officials along with other influential powers from Turkey interfered with the Parliamentary Elections.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus...
or TRNC, bring into office a president and a legislature which exercise de facto leadership over the northern 36.27% (3,355 km2./1,295 sq.mi.) of the island of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, encompassing the territory of the internationally-unrecognized TRNC.
Electoral system
The presidency, which is served in five-year terms, was instituted with TRNC's first presidential election in 1985 and continued with the elections of 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005, with the next election scheduled for April 2010. The legislature, Cumhuriyet Meclisi (Assembly of the Republic of Northern CyprusAssembly of the Republic of Northern Cyprus
The parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Assembly of the Republic has 50 members, elected for a five year term by mitigated proportional representation. A party must cross the election threshold to get any seats in parliament...
), has 50 members, elected for a five year term by mitigated proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The territory has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
and another party which is also electorally successful. Although the voters are described as Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
, the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
mainland daily Sabah
Sabah (newspaper)
Sabah is a popular Turkish daily newspaper, with a circulation of around 330,000 as of 2011. Its name means "morning" in the Turkish language originating from Arabic...
reported that in the 2009 elections only 38% of those entitled to vote were Turkish Cypriot, while the remaining 62% were Turkish citizens living in TRNC as settlers.
In the presidential election, a candidate must obtain at least 50% of the votes in order to secure a first-ballot victory. Upon failing to do so, the two top candidates compete in a runoff election, with the winner assuming the presidency.
The mitigated proportional representation system in use for legislative elections obligates each party to cross the 5% of the total vote election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
in order to be seated in the 50-member parliament, which is chosen from five electoral districts, Lefkoşa (Nicosia
Nicosia District
For the district of Northern Cyprus, see Lefkoşa District.Nicosia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia...
), Gazimağusa (Famagusta
Famagusta District
Famagusta District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island's most important port, Famagusta. The city of Famagusta is currently controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ....
), Girne (Kyrenia
Kyrenia District
Kyrenia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Kyrenia . It is the smallest of Cyprus' districts, and is the only one fully controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey....
), Güzelyurt (Morphou) and İskele (Trikomo
Trikomo, Cyprus
Trikomo is a town in the Famagusta District of Cyprus. It is in the area controlled by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and seat of its İskele District It has been under Turkish control since the 1974 invasion, driving the local Greek Cypriot villagers out of the area....
).
In the parliamentary elections, voters choose individual candidates with two options in the manner of voting: a party-line vote which, in effect, means a vote for each candidate from that party in that election district or, alternatively, the voter may choose different MP candidates from various parties. In this type of mixed voting, the voter may not choose more than the number of MPs from that district.
Residents of northern Cyprus are eligible to stand for election and vote in the national elections of the Republic of Cyprus (The Constitution states that a Turkish-Cypriot should be Vice-President of the Republic), but such adherence to original principles has not been put into practice since the island's division in 1974. However, Turkish-Cypriots living in the Greek areas, do participate in the elections.
2009 Parliamentary election
2005 Presidential election
The election took place on 17 April 2005 and was won by CTP leader Mehmet Ali TalatMehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat is the former President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was the leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party . He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the Presidential election held on 17 April 2005...
with a 56% share of the vote. The previous and at that point only president of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş
Rauf Denktas
Rauf Raif Denktaş is the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , a de facto state which is only recognized by Turkey...
, chose not to run again.
Presidential elections
| Date: | Candidates: | Party Affiliation: | % Vote: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April 2000 |
Mustafa Akıncı Mehmet A. Talat Mehmet Ali Talat Mehmet Ali Talat is the former President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was the leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party . He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the Presidential election held on 17 April 2005... Arif Hasan T. Desem Derviş Eroğlu Ayhan Kaymak Rauf R. Denktas Sener Levent Turgut Afsaroglu |
TKP CTP YBH UBP Independent Independent Independent Independent |
%11.70 %10.03 %2.60 %30.14 %0.38 %43.67 %0.92 %0.56 |
1- Number of registered voters: 126675 2-Participation Rate: %81.02 3-Derviş Eroğlu and Rauf R. Denktas Rauf Denktas Rauf Raif Denktaş is the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , a de facto state which is only recognized by Turkey... was to run for the second round, but Derviş Eroğlu Dervis Eroglu Dr. Derviş Eroğlu is the President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1985 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2004, and leader of the National Unity Party. His party won the general elections in 2009 and Eroğlu... had forfeited so the second round did not take place |
| 15 Feb 1995 |
|
1- 1st round of 1995presidential elections. | ||
| 22 April 1995 |
1- 2nd round of 1995 presidential elections. | |||
| 22 April 1990 |
1- 1st round of 1990 presidential elections. | |||
| 9 June 1985 |
1- 1st round of 1985 presidential elections. | |||
| 28 June 1981 |
1- 1st round of 1981 presidential elections. |
Parliamentary elections
| Date: | Parties: | % Votes: | Seats: | Notes: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 2005 |
CTP - Cumhuriyetçi Turk Partisi UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi DP - Demokrat Parti BDH - Baris ve Demokrasi Hareketi TKP - Toplumcu Kurtuluş Partisi YP - New Party MAP - Milli Adalet Partisi |
%44.5 %31.7 %13.5 %5.8 %2.4 %1.6 %0.5 |
24 19 6 1 - - - |
+5 +1 -1 -5 - - - |
1- (+/-) - Difference in seats from 2003 election. |
| 14 Dec 2003 |
CTP - Cumhuriyetçi Turk Partisi UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi BDH - Baris ve Demokrasi Hareketi DP - Demokrat Parti |
% 35.18 % 32.93 % 13.14% %12.93 |
19 18 6 7 |
1- TKP entered the elections under the list of BDH. | |
| 6 Dec 1998 |
UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi DP - Demokrat Parti TKP - Toplumcu Kurtuluş Partisi CTP - Cumhuriyetçi Turk Partisi Others |
%40.4 %22.6 %15.4 %13.4 % 8.2 |
24 13 7 6 - |
1- Others includes UDP National Birth Party The National Birth Party is a political party in Northern Cyprus without parliamentary representation. The party, led by Enver Emin, had representation after the 1998 elections.... , BP, YBH |
|
| 12 Dec 1993 |
UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi DP - Demokrat Parti CTP - Cumhuriyetçi Turk Partisi TKP - Toplumcu Kurtuluş Partisi Others (YKP New Cyprus Party The New Cyprus Party is a left-wing, democratic socialist Turkish-Cypriot political party. Before 2004 it was known as the Patriotic Unity Movement .-External links:**... , MMP, BEP) |
%29.8 %29.2 %24.2 %13.3 % 3.5 |
17 15 13 5 - |
1-Early General Elections 2- Others include YKP, MMP, BEP |
|
| 13 Oct 1991 |
UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi Free Democratic Party (HDP) Others (YKP) |
%67.1 %13.9 %19 |
11 1 - |
1- Interim elections done to fill the seats of 12 MPs who had resigned. 2- CTP and TKP boycotted the election Election boycott An election boycott is the boycotting of an election by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of political protest where voters feel that electoral fraud is likely, or that the electoral system is biased against its candidates, or that the polity... . 3-Others include SDP, MAP, BEP, YDP |
|
| 6 May 1990 | UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi Democratic Struggle Party (DMP) Others (YKP) |
%54.7 %44.5 %0.8 |
34 16 - |
1- DMP is an election alliance party for CTP, TKP, YDP. | |
| 23 Jun 1985 |
UBP - Ulusal Birlik Partisi CTP - Cumhuriyetçi Turk Partisi TKP - Toplumcu Kurtuluş Partisi YDP - Yeni Dogus Partisi (YDP) Others |
%36.7 %21.4 %15.8 %8.8 %17.3 |
24 12 10 4 - |
Others include TAP, SDP, DHP |
In 2009 President Mehmet Ali Talat has claimed that in 1990 and 1998 Turkish government officials along with other influential powers from Turkey interfered with the Parliamentary Elections.