‘PM Üstel’s powers as party leader should be suspended’
ÜNAL Üstel’s powers as the chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP) should be “suspended” due to the way in which he was chosen as the party’s new leader, it has been claimed.
Mr Üstel became the leader of the UBP, the biggest political party in the TRNC, two weeks ago following the resignation of Faiz Sucuoğlu.
That followed a period of several months during which Mr Üstel was the Prime Minister despite not being the leader of his party.
The PM was unopposed in the UBP’s “emergency” general assembly to select a new leader, but UBP member Sertan Tıraş has claimed that his candidacy for the role was unfairly rejected.
Mr Tıraş submitted an application for a “preliminary injunction” to suspend Mr Üstel’s authority as UBP chairman to Lefkoşa District Court Senior Judge Şerife Katip on Tuesday.
Lawyer İzzi Okray argued that his client has been a UBP member for “many years” and that he had applied for the chairmanship candidacy but was not given a proper explanation by party officials for why his application was rejected.
Mr Okray claimed that by “ignoring” the application of Mr Tıraş, who he described as a “competent candidate for UBP chairman”, the Constitution, UBP rules and the law governing political parties had been “violated”.
“The chairmanship candidate application [of Mr Tıraş] was not taken into consideration, nor did [the UBP] act according to democratic principles and morals,” Mr Okray said.
“The situation is very clear. My client and the state will suffer irreparable harm. There will be serious political losses. The democratic right to elect and to be elected will be obstructed.”
Judge Katip said that it would be “inappropriate” to grant a “unilateral preliminary injunction”. She said that the defendants’ opinion should also be sought and ordered the claimant to notify them before adjourning the case to Monday, September 26.