Finish of an period. TRNC strikes to scrap cross-party voting
Sep 18, 2026 12:12 pm
Ibrar Younas
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Probably the most distinctive options of Turkish Cypriot democracy is ready to vanish — however President Tufan Erhürman has despatched the controversial laws again to Parliament as ‘a matter of principal’ relatively than authorized anomality.
A voting system which allowed Turkish Cypriots to successfully construct their very own parliamentary candidate listing relatively than settle for the one offered to them by a political occasion is on the verge of disappearing after Parliament voted to abolish cross-party voting.
Identified regionally as karma oy, the system allowed voters to distribute their votes amongst candidates from totally different political events as a substitute of voting for a single occasion listing.
It gave the citizens an uncommon diploma of freedom: a voter may assist candidates from the Nationwide Unity Get together (UBP), Republican Turkish Get together (CTP) and different events on the identical poll, successfully creating their very own most well-liked workforce of MPs.
That possibility was abolished by Parliament on September 10, when authorities MPs handed amendments to the Election and Referendum Regulation throughout a rare sitting. Cross-party voting can be faraway from each parliamentary and municipal council elections, though voters would retain the correct to decide on between candidates throughout the occasion they assist.
However the change has now hit a presidential roadblock.
President Tufan Erhürman returned the laws to Parliament on Thursday for reconsideration, which means MPs must look at the controversial adjustments once more earlier than they will develop into legislation.
Cross-party voting has lengthy been considered one of many extra distinctive components of the Turkish Cypriot electoral system as a result of it decreased the management political events exercised over which candidates reached Parliament.
Supporters regarded it as extremely democratic: as a substitute of merely accepting the candidates chosen and ordered by occasion buildings, voters may reward particular person politicians they trusted no matter occasion affiliation.
However the identical attribute more and more turned one of many principal arguments towards it.
In a small society the place politicians, professionals and voters regularly know each other personally, particular person reputation more and more competed with — and generally overshadowed — political events, manifestos and ideological loyalty.
As a substitute of figuring out primarily as a UBP, CTP or one other occasion voter, sections of the citizens may develop into personally loyal to particular person politicians.
Critics of the system argue this inspired personality-based politics, patronage networks and the electoral significance of non-public relationships, whereas weakening the importance of occasion programmes and collective political duty.
Even HP chief Kudret Özersay, himself one of many greatest beneficiaries of cross-party voting, has backed its abolition, arguing that what started as a democratic proper had over time develop into weak to political exploitation.
SHOULD THE BIG WINNERS WORRY
Earlier election outcomes display simply how highly effective the private vote may develop into.
Erhürman himself was among the many strongest examples. Earlier than changing into President, he attracted 5,376 votes from outdoors his personal occasion vote — the very best cross-party whole amongst candidates.
Former prime minister Dr Faiz Sucuoğlu was one other main beneficiary, receiving 3,507 cross-party votes, whereas HP chief Kudret Özersay attracted 3,463.
Ali Pilli, Olgun Amcaoğlu and Sıla Usar İncirli had been additionally among the many politicians who carried out significantly strongly by way of votes acquired from outdoors their very own occasion base.
The figures demonstrated an necessary function of the system: some politicians had been able to attracting substantial private assist from voters who had been unwilling to vote for his or her events.
On the reverse finish had been politicians together with Agriculture Minister Hüseyin Çavuş, Hasan Küçük, Serhat Akpınar, Hasan Tosunoğlu, Erhan Arıklı and Talip Atalay, who had been amongst these receiving comparatively few cross-party votes.
The figures have inevitably added one other dimension to the controversy surrounding the federal government’s resolution.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, who spearheaded the transfer to abolish the system, was additionally in the direction of the decrease finish of the cross-party vote rankings.
His opponents have consequently accused him of supporting an electoral change which may benefit politicians extra dependent upon their occasion vote than their private attraction throughout political boundaries.
There may be, nevertheless, no proof within the voting figures themselves that this was Üstel’s motivation, and authorities supporters argue that the reform is as a substitute meant to revive the significance of political events, their programmes and their duty to voters.
LESS THAN THREE MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION
The timing has made the controversy much more intense.
The laws was handed lower than three months earlier than the December 6 elections, when parliamentary and native elections are attributable to be held on the identical day.
Critics have questioned whether or not such a major alteration to the way in which individuals vote ought to be launched so near polling day, whereas supporters argue the long-running issues surrounding karma oy justified its elimination.
The CTP voted towards the laws, citing procedural objections, whereas debate has additionally centred on the democratic penalties of eradicating a mechanism which gave voters significantly extra freedom to decide on particular person candidates.
The difficulty will not be essentially settled, nevertheless.
Erhürman’s resolution to return the laws means it can now return by way of Parliament, the place MPs could have one other alternative to contemplate the adjustments. Nevertheless talking to Cyprus At the moment Prwdient Erhurman stated it wasn’t a authorized challenge it was a matter of a wider principal of not altering the principles this near election date. He additionally stated that he was certain that the parliament would ship it again to a ratified with none adjustments and the invoice would undergo.
If Parliament in the end insists on the adjustments it authorised on September 10, which appears the case, one of the crucial uncommon options of elections in North Cyprus will develop into historical past.
