Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel on Monday challenged opposition parties to acquiesce to his plans for local and legislative elections to be held on the same day in December.

“Since you are all so gutsy, come on, then! Let’s have two elections at the same time! Come on!” he said during an address to the Turkish Cypriot legislature.

He explained that the law dictates that local elections must be held in December, and that following meetings with the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot supreme election council Bertan Ozerdag, the first Sunday of the month – December 6 – appears to be the most likely date for such an election to be held.

The call came as the legislature discussed revisions put forward by Ustel’s ruling coalition to the north’s electoral law, and he insisted that the only changes being put forward had been requested by Ozerdag.

“Apart from that, we have not added a single word,” he said.

Opposition figures have long been calling for early legislative elections to be held, particularly after Ersin Tatar, the ruling coalition’s endorsed candidate at last October’s Turkish Cypriot leadership election, was dealt a chastening defeat by the opposition’s candidate Tufan Erhurman, and with opposition party the CTP streaking ahead in the polls.

However, Ustel on Monday insisted that “the debate about early elections has ended”, and that the next legislative election will either take place in January, at the latest possible time it can be held, or in December alongside the local elections.

The most recent Turkish Cypriot legislative elections were held on January 23, 2022, with the four-and-a-half years since then the longest period between Turkish Cypriot legislative elections since legislative elections were held more than five years apart in the Decembers of 1998 and 2003.

Despite this, Ustel was insistent that his party, the UBP, and the ruling coalition it leads is not “avoiding” an election.

“Neither the UBP, nor the DP, nor the YDP have ever avoided elections. The government will continue to explain is achievements to the public,” he said, before adding in this vein that he plans to announce the signing of a deal to construct a natural gas pipeline from Turkey to Cyprus.

Sila Usar Incirli

His call was not met with enthusiasm by the opposition, with CTP leader Sila Usar Incirli saying that instead of in December, legislative elections should be held in August.

“Can you really say ‘come on, then’ and throw down the gauntlet for six months’ time? Come on, then, let’s have it in 60 days’ time. This way, the new government can prepare the 2027 budget,” she said.

She then added that “throwing down the gauntlet for six months from now is not courage”, and said that given that all four parties represented in the Turkish Cypriot legislature were present at the time, they should all decide there and then when the election should be held.

Dissent also came from inside the ruling coalition, with DP leader Fikri Ataoglu pushing back on the plans for two elections to be held on the same day during an appearance on the north’s public television station, BRT.

“We will not approve of holding two elections together just because three or five UBP MPs want it. The election date is a matter on which all parties can discuss and agree,” he said.