By-elections in the north for vacant seat in ‘parliament’

By-elections were held in the north on Sunday to fill a vacant seat in ‘parliament’.

The seat has been vacant since last year when former ‘foreign minister’ Kudret Ozersay resigned in protest at what he saw as undue influence from Turkey on the ‘government.

The electoral system currently in place dictates that all 210,121 registered voters in the north have the right to vote in 713 polling stations until 6pm.

A total of 13 candidates are on Sunday’s ballot.

Ali Basman of the conservative UBP and Sami Ozuslu of the social democratic CTP are set to be the frontrunners.

A win for the UBP would see them gain an effective majority in ‘parliament’, though there are currently no indications from ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel of a will to drop their coalition partners should this happen.

The UBP has been in ‘government’ in the north continuously since 2019, with their current coalition involving the historically centre-right DP and Turkish nationalist YDP since last year.

As well as the ‘parliamentary’ by-election on Sunday, voters in the northern Nicosia neighbourhood of Yenicami will elect a new mukhtar.