Local elections in north jolt leadership

By Esra Aygin

January 8, 2023

‘The ruling coalition has offended Turkish Cypriot voters’

Mehmet Harmanci

Local elections in the northern part of Cyprus, branded as a competition between the “pro-Turkey and the pro-Europe,” and “pro-sovereignty and the pro-federal solution” by the Turkish Cypriot leader himself, have resulted in an unexpected failure for the ruling right-wing coalition.

Support for coalition parties National Unity Party UBP, Democratic Party DP, and Rebirth Party YDP fell compared to the January 2022 general elections, while opposition Republican Turkish Party CTP, and Social Democracy Party TDP, which did not gain any seats in the 2022 elections, saw their votes increase. CTP was the party that won most municipalities, with its candidates succeeding in seven of the 18 municipalities.

Most importantly, the UBP-DP-YDP coalition lost the two big cities – Kyrenia and Famagusta to left-wing CTP and failed to conquer Nicosia from mayor Mehmet Harmanci of TDP.

“Voters have jolted the ones in power,” was the headline of daily Bugun Kıbris on the day after the local elections on 25 December.

“The people have given a warning to the government,” admitted coalition partner YDP’s Erhan Arikli.

Despite allegations of an intervention by Ankara that were never denied, it was especially significant that the ruling coalition lost Famagusta, where the fight for mayor was seen not as simply a local election but about Turkish control and the continuation of the opening of the fenced-off city of Varosha. CTP’s candidate Suleyman Ulucay won the elections in Famagusta with almost 50 per cent of the votes.

The ruling coalition also lost Kyrenia to CTP, with Murat Senkul winning the election with 34.3 per cent of the votes.

Despite the left’s victory in big cities, the ruling coalition and especially UBP was unrivalled in rural areas, bringing its overall vote slightly higher than the overall vote of CTP. The Karpas peninsula for example, where many of the Turkish-origin people live, has, with all its municipalities, gone under the control of UBP with these elections.

“It seems like UBP is standing with the citizenship policy and especially the votes of the Turkish-origin voters,” says journalist Cenk Mutluyakali. “It has offended the Cypriot voters… and died off in central areas.”

UBP’s overall votes decreased from 39.6 per cent in January 2022 to 35.8 percent, while CTP’s votes increased from 31.9 per cent to 35.4 per cent, pointing to a heavily polarised political terrain for the future.

Academician and international relations expert Ipek Borman argues that the current “existential crisis” of Turkish Cypriots played a major role in the setback of the pro-Ankara ruling coalition in big cities.

“As Turkish Cypriots, we find ourselves trying to hold on to life politically and socio-economically, under such conditions, where democracy has been destroyed,” says Borman. “The local elections took place under these circumstances. Therefore, many of us did not, or were not able to look at these elections solely from a municipal or local perspective. Whether we admit it or not, we are living in an existential state of mind and assessing everything in our political environment through this state of mind. Therefore, even local elections were viewed beyond a local perspective, through an existential perspective… In this sense, it is very important that in the three big cities, social democratic people with concerns about the future have won.”

Undoubtedly, the biggest victory was by Nicosia Turkish municipality mayor Harmanci, who won almost 50 per cent of the votes in Nicosia against the candidate of UBP and the strong candidate of CTP. Both of Harmanci’s competitors were deputies in the Turkish Cypriot assembly. Harmanci has become the only mayor after former Turkish Cypriot leader and Nicosia Turkish municipality mayor Mustafa Akinci, who could win the municipal elections for three consecutive terms.

Commentators agree that Harmanci’s major victory should also be seen not solely resulting from local factors, but as a response by the Turkish Cypriot people to the challenges that they are currently faced with.

“Nicosia election results are beyond just ‘local’” says Mutluyakali. “It is an uprising against the social, political, cultural oppression that we are faced with. A message of communal existence was given through Harmanci… The crowds, who want to unite with the world through a common future [with Greek Cypriots], put forward a political attitude. They stood up against rule by [Turkey’s] orders… In Nicosia, the voters called out AKP (Justice and Development Party) and Ankara’s meddling, oppression, interference in Nicosia.”

Many ordinary Turkish Cypriots, as well as opinion leaders and journalists took the social media after the Nicosia results were announced to declare Harmanci the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.

“A new leader is born,” tweeted online newspaper Ozgur Gazete.

“Harmanci is now a candidate to be the communal leader,” tweeted former senior judge Tacan Reynar. “The confidence he has secured in the capital city for all these years, calls him to step forward and lead the people.”

“Turkish Cypriots have been looking for a communal leader for some time now,” wrote journalist Hasan Yikici. “The support for Harmanci…must be seen as a serious demonstration of this quest. Mehmet Harmanci should, from now on, be seen as a candidate communal leader.”

https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/01/08/local-elections-in-north-jolt-leadership/

Intervention in north’s Famagusta elections

By Esra Aygin

December 11, 2022

The fight for mayor is not simply a local election, it is about Varosha and Turkish control

A section of the opened-up Varosha

Two Famagusta mayor candidates simultaneously withdrew from the upcoming municipal elections 24 hours after announcing their candidacy, prompting widespread conviction that Ankara is once again meddling in the elections in the northern part of Cyprus.

Both current mayor Ismail Arter and independent candidate Cem Dana were right-wing candidates, and their withdrawal favours the candidate of the ruling coalition National Unity Party UBP. The two independent candidates would have divided the right-wing votes and given a boost to opposition Republican Turkish Party CTP’s candidate.

Ismail Arter

“It is definite that there has been an intervention,” said opposition CTP’s deputy Erkut Şahali. “And it was a very effective intervention.”

The ruling UBP, Democratic Party DP, Rebirth Party YDP coalition has not been shy about stating that Famagusta is more important than the other cities because of the plans to open fenced-off Varosha.

In fact, speaking at a gathering in Famagusta earlier this week, head of UBP and the ruling coalition Ünal Üstel said they would “bring about the full Varosha opening together with Turkey”.

The ghost town of Varosha is among the places to be returned to its lawful former Greek Cypriot inhabitants under the control of the future Greek Cypriot constituent state within the framework of a comprehensive federal solution on the island. The Turkish government, in 2020 opened a part of Varosha to visits despite UN resolutions prohibiting the move. Turkish and Turkish Cypriot authorities have since been vocal about plans to take forward the “Varosha opening”.

“The Varosha opening is at the axis of the…policy we have developed with Turkey,” said YDP’s Erhan Arıklı shortly after the withdrawals by the Famagusta candidates. “What would happen to our Varosha opening if someone, who is against this national policy…took over?… How could Ismail Arter or Cem Dana shoulder the responsibility of losing the Famagusta municipality and hampering the Varosha opening?”

“Evil Alliance” was the headline of Bugün Kıbrıs. “The regime in Ankara made the right wing join in support of a single candidate with the aim of being able to pursue new tensions in Varosha.”

“They will sacrifice Varosha” was the headline of Ozgur Gazete.

Former senior judge Tacan Reynar took to social media criticising the intervention. “The biggest concern that led to the intervention in Famagusta is CTP winning this city,” he posted. “Because in that city, there is the prospect of looting… Some are salivating and waiting for Varosha. All this is because of that planned looting.”

Cem Dana

The statements by the two withdrawing candidates, whom according to journalist Serhat İncirli were threatened, strengthened suspicions.

Current Famagusta mayor Arter, when announcing his decision, talked about “intense political activity in the last 24 hours”, and said he was withdrawing “in order not to create problems and grievances for the political parties that my voters belong to”.

Dana on the other hand, said: “I took this decision in light of our national cause, and our national policy that we are pursuing together with our motherland, the Republic of Turkey.”

Reports of an intervention by Ankara were never denied, but rather legitimised by the statements of the Turkish Cypriot administration. Visibly happy with the withdrawals, Üstel thanked Arter, who “has always supported our policies on the Cyprus problem, which we pursue together with our motherland Turkey, and who did not shy away from saying ‘nothing is important when national interests are at stake’.”

“I am pleased to hear that he has withdrawn his candidacy,” Üstel said about Dana, adding that this election is not simply a local election. “Dana has taken into consideration the projects that we have tabled for Famagusta, and our foreign policy we pursue through a common understanding with Turkey. I commend him for not insisting.”

The municipal elections are scheduled for 25 December 2022.

The withdrawals took place two days after the new Turkish ambassador Metin Feyzioğlu arrived in the northern part of Cyprus, and many believe this was not a coincidence. Feyzioğlu is one of the architects of the ‘Varosha opening’.

In fact, Turkish politician and intellectual Veysi Sarısözen wrote that Feyzioğlu has been sent to Cyprus by Turkish President Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party AKP with a special mission. “As part of this mission, he will first seize Varosha,” Sarısözen said.

Back in 2020, when Feyzioğlu was the head of the Turkish Bar Association, he had organised a meeting on the “Legal, Political and Economic Aspects of the Varosha Opening” in the fenced-off city. The then-Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı was not invited to the meeting, where Feyzioğlu had argued that “North Cyprus has sovereignty over Varosha.” “The Varosha opening will serve as the solution of the Cyprus problem,” Feyzioğlu had said.

Later in the year, days before the election for the Turkish Cypriot leader, in a move widely seen as an attempt to sway results against former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Turkish President Erdogan and Akinci’s rival Ersin Tatar announced the opening of part of the sealed-off city of Varosha.

On the day of the opening, Feyzioğlu tweeted: “Only the Turkish nation can decide on the future of closed off-city of Varosha. And it did. Varosha is now open. I am proud to have been part of this big dream… We still have a lot to do.”

And last weekend, a few days after the withdrawal of two mayor candidates, Metin Feyzioğlu visited Varosha and tweeted: “Varosha is under the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. Resolution 789 (1992) also calls that, with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.

An investigation on allegations of Turkey’s interference in the 2020 elections for the Turkish Cypriot leader had revealed shocking details of threats, pressures, and blackmailing against incumbent leader Mustafa Akinci, as well as other candidates and journalists. The report, published last year, by a team of civil society representatives, lawyers and researchers details blatant interference by Ankara in the elections in favour of right-wing politician and current Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/12/11/intervention-in-norths-famagusta-elections/

Article - CTP receives major blow in local elections (Published in Greek in 24h on 6 July, 2014)

CTP receives major blow in local elections

Last Sunday’s municipal elections dealt a huge blow to the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the biggest pro-solution party in the northern part of Cyprus, and the outcome is expected to have major implications on April’s elections for the Turkish Cypriot leader. CTP, which held the municipalities in the three biggest cities in the northern part of Cyprus, lost all three.

A successful outcome in municipal elections would have considerably strengthened CTP, and served as a strong indication of people’s inclinations for the ‘presidential elections.’ CTP would have most probably nominated former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, who has been open about his willingness to run again, and would had a good chance of coming out of the elections victorious.

However, to the amazement of many, CTP lost the ‘flagship’ Nicosia Turkish Municipality, as well as the Kyrenia and Famagusta Municipalities. The Kyrenia and Famagusta municipalities, which belonged to CTP for more than 15 years, were lost to candidates backed by hardliner Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu, and the right-wing National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democratic Party (DP).

Challenging times lie ahead of CTP officials not only because they will most probably be required to re-design their plans for the April elections in this new political atmosphere, but also because of the internal conflicts within the party. There are allegations that long-standing disagreements among party officials and the municipal candidates have grown into full-blown retaliation during the municipal elections and led to CTP’s defeat. Some party members are being accused of openly or secretly backing competing candidates. The party will also have to solve these internal conflicts, which were used very efficiently by the right-wing parties to defeat CTP, if it is to enter a healthy election period.

An important outcome of the local elections is the rise of veteran politician Mustafa Akıncı as a strong potential candidate for the ‘presidential elections’ after Social Democracy Party’s (TDP) Mehmet Harmancı won the Nicosia Turkish Municipality with almost 40 per cent of the votes. In the Turkish Cypriot political arena, a special importance has always been placed on who wins the Nicosia Turkish Municipality, with many arguing, often rightly so, that the Nicosia Turkish Municipality is a ‘flagship’ municipality and the party that wins it, has an advantage during the ensuing elections for the Turkish Cypriot leader.

It will be interesting to watch the developments in the run-up to the April elections.

Article - Municipal elections in the north (Published in Greek in 24h on 29 June 2014)

Municipal elections in the north

I don’t know if I am expected to write the word ‘municipal’ within quotation marks or insert the expression ‘so-called’ before it. I will do neither, because I refuse to submit to the official discourse of either side.

The status-quo in the northern part of Cyprus is unacceptable and the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” is a secessionist entity deemed legally invalid by international law. However, any group of people living at a certain place for one reason or another, have basic needs of housing, infrastructure, water network, sewage etc. that have to be fulfilled by local administrations. And I don’t believe that not using quotation marks when writing about the local administrations or municipalities in the north would make the said entity there more legal or acceptable.

That point aside, as you are reading this article today, Turkish Cypriots are going to polls to elect the people who will run the local administrations in the northern part of Cyprus for the next four years. And it is widely believed that the municipal elections on 29 June will also serve as a strong indication for next year’s elections for the Turkish Cypriot leader. People’s political party preferences will demonstrate whether the majority is leaning more towards the pro-settlement, pro-unification left parties or the pro-status-quo right parties. This therefore, will be considered an early sign for the election for the Turkish Cypriot leader in April 2015 – due in less than 10 months.  

Besides the overall results of the municipal elections, a special importance is placed on who will win the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. Many argue that the Nicosia Turkish Municipality is a ‘flagship’ municipality and the party that wins it will have advantage during the ensuing elections for the Turkish Cypriot leader.

Whether by coincidence or not, this argument was validated by the two most recent elections. When Mehmet Ali Talat became the Turkish Cypriot leader with an unprecedented %56 of the votes in April 2005, the pro-solution left-wing Republican Turkish Party (CTP) was holding the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. However, the  ‘flagship’ Nicosia Turkish Municipality was lost to Serdar Denktas’ Democratic Party in 2006, and Mehmet Ali Talat lost the Turkish Cypriot leadership to hardliner Dervis Eroglu in the elections in 2010. 

There surely are other factors involved in the election of the Turkish Cypriot leader. However, today’s elections will no doubt serve as an indication of the general tendency of the people living in the northern part of Cyprus and play an important role in the political parties’ plans for the upcoming April 2015 election.