‘Government’ in north offers resignation (Updated)

The coalition ‘government’ in the north has offered its resignation to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar after it lost its majority in ‘parliament’, its ‘prime minister’ said on Wednesday as he called for an early election.

“I observed that the government could not continue further,” ‘prime minister’ Ersan Saner, who headed the National Unity Party (UBP) told reporters after conveying the resignation to Tatar, whom he said was assessing the decision.

He said the resignation of the administration, formed last year, came after the three-party coalition lost its majority and he said an early election should be held as soon as possible.

The three parties in ‘government’ were the UBP, the Republican Party (DP) and the Renaissance Party (YDP) formed after Tatar ousted Mustafa Akinci in elections last October.

“The problem of a quorum in parliament, the developments within the two of the three parties in the coalition government and some problems that arose within the government, were the reasons that led us to resign,” Saner said, according to Turkish Cypriot media.

Immediately after Saner announced his resignation and withdrawal of his party, the leader of the YDP ‘deputy prime minister’ Erhan Arikli said the ‘constitutional’ procedures would now be followed and time would tell whether a widely accepted government, could be formed. If not, elections would have to be called for December, he said.

The leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP ) Tufan Erhurman said: “Finally they realised that there was no real government.”

Kudret Ozersay, leader of the People’s Party (HP), commenting on the resignation, said that this “patchwork government” which “did not benefit the homeland” at all, was now dead and buried.

The coalition, with the support of 25 ‘MPs’ lasted 10 months. Then, after the resignation of a YDP member from the party the coalition’s seats in ‘parliament’ fell to 24, Yeni Duzen reported.

The problem of a quorum in the ‘parliament’, as well as the setting of a date for early elections were the cause of daily confrontation between the ‘government’ and the opposition the paper said.