TRNC polls open tomorrow
AN EARLY general election will see 388 candidates do battle tomorrow for 50 seats in the TRNC’s parliament.
It was announced on Thursday that shops, bars and restaurants are banned from selling alcohol while polling stations around the country are open to receive the votes of up to 190,000 people between 8am and 6pm.
It was also revealed that all of the country’s state schools will be closed on Monday, after their teachers step in to man the premises as polling stations tomorrow.
Unofficial results are expected to be released by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) on Monday morning and confirmed on Tuesday.
SOME 190,000 people will be eligible to vote in tomorrow’s general election, with 388 candidates to choose from.
Only nine of the parliamentary hopefuls are standing as independents: four in Lefkoşa, two in Gazimağusa and one each in Girne, Güzelyurt and İskele.
The rest of the candidates are from eight political parties. They are the current coalition partners National Unity Party (UBP) and Democrat Party (DP); the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP); the Social Democratic Party (TDP), the Nationalist Democratic Party (MDP), the Communal Liberation Party-New Forces (TKP-YG) and its United Cyprus Party (BKP) partner, the Rebirth Party (YDP) and the People’s Party (HP).
The Cyprus Socialist Party (KSP) has endorsed an independent candidate, while the New Cyprus Party (YKP) is boycotting the elections.
According to latest figures announced by the Supreme Election Council, 190,553 people out of a total registered population of 230,747 will be able to cast their votes at 719 ballot boxes.
Around 2,150 election officials will be on duty at polling stations around the country, where voters will have to present “legal identification”, such as a TRNC ID card, passport or driving licence, to cast their ballot.
It will be the first general election to take place under new legislation which introduced a “single general election district”. This means that a voter can select candidates from any of the TRNC’s six districts, subject to certain rules, regardless of where they actually live. The geographical distribution of the 50 seats in Parliament will be based on the adult population of each of the six districts. The Lefkoşa region, with 73,869 adults, will get 16 seats while Gazimağusa (59,536) will be allocated 13 seats.
In Girne (46,889) 10 seats are up for grabs, followed by five in İskele (24,596), four in Güzelyurt (17,416) and two in Lefke (8,441).
The new legislation also required political parties to ensure that at least 30 per cent of their candidates are female — meaning that a total of 114 women are standing, 67 more than in the last general election, in 2013. Seven MDP women were barred from standing because of missing paperwork.
More disabled candidates are running for office than ever before, with a total of seven looking for votes; two from DP, and one each from CTP, TDP, YDP, HP and one independent.