The results of the recent elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) show that "our ties with Ankara, our stance regarding the Cyprus issue and my politics have gained support," TRNC President Ersin Tatar said.
Tatar, evaluating the election, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of voter participation was around 60%. He reiterated that around 40,000 of the more than 200,000 voters were abroad.
"My evaluation as the president is that the elections took place in a really democratic atmosphere. Everyone, also with the support of the media, had the chance to voice his own ideas and arguments."
The ruling National Unity Party (UBP) is ahead in the Turkish Cyprus early elections with 39.54% of the votes in favor, according to preliminary results on Monday.
Unofficial results announced by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) showed that all votes have been counted, and the UBP secured 39.54% of the vote.
The ruling party is followed by the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) with 32.04%, the Democrat Party (DP) with 7.41%, the Rebirth Party (YDP) with 6.39% and the People's Party (HP) with 6.68%.
The Communal Democracy Party (TDP), the Communal Liberation Party New Forces (TKP-YG) and the Independence Path Party (BY) stayed below the 5% threshold, according to the election authority.
With the current standings, the UBP gets 24 seats, the CTP 18, DP three, the HP three and the YDP two in the 50-member parliament.
Compared to the previous election, the UBP increased their number of seats by three, the number of seats of the CTP increased by 50%, while the HP decreased from nine deputies to three deputies.
In his first interview after the elections, UBP Chairperson Faiz Sucuoğlu told AA that the elections have proved to be a victory for democracy.
He continued to say that the policies he defends as president and a Cyprus consisting of two separate states living side by side on the basis of sovereign equality as well as developing good ties with Turkey to strengthen the TRNC have been approved by a vote rate of more than 60%.
Tatar said that he would put Sucuoğlu in charge of forming a government in the upcoming days.
Stating that he believes that the TRNC will overcome the troubled days it is currently facing, with the support of Turkey, Tatar noted that efforts in the economy and other fields will continue successfully with a stable government model that will last for five years.
"The current government is a coalition of the National Unity Party and the Democrat Party. The DP has increased its votes. It is possible that this government will continue. Sucuoğlu, who will form the government, will decide this with his potential partners. A UBP-DP-People's Party government is also possible. They will have to decide whether to include the Rebirth Party, I cannot say anything concrete ... The current deputy number of the UBP is 24. There are 50 in total. There is a need of another 26 deputies to establish a quorate at the parliament," Tatar elaborated.
"UBP governments have always had good relations with Turkey. As the president, I will follow this as well. There are some serious issues due to the pandemic and the economic crisis. In order to overcome all these issues, a good relationship with Ankara, an economic program and a protocol and a working environment should be established," he added.
Election campaigns of the political parties have been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen an upsurge of cases in recent days.
The economy was a key topic of speeches by the candidates during the TRNC's snap parliamentary election campaign. Due to the pandemic, political parties presented their vision to voters on health issues as well as future economic goals, which were the top agenda items of all candidates.
Political parties made significant efforts to attract public support by offering their perspectives and visions on different issues.
The elections took place a year earlier than planned. Former Prime Minister Ersan Saner of the UBP submitted his resignation in October and called for new elections. Sucuoğlu took over on an interim basis.
Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Turkey’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.