2018 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2018 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election

← 2013 7 January 2018 2022 →
50 seats in the Assembly of the Republic 26 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % Seats ± National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus) Hüseyin Özgürgün 35.61 21 +7 Republican Turkish Party Tufan Erhürman 20.95 12 -9 People's Party (Northern Cyprus) Kudret Özersay 17.07 9 New Communal Democracy Party Cemal Özyiğit 8.65 3 0 Democratic Party (Northern Cyprus) Serdar Denktaş 7.82 3 -9 Rebirth Party (Northern Cyprus) Erhan Arıklı 6.99 2 New This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Map of the election results, showing the seats won by each party in each of the 6 multi-member constituencies.
Prime Minister before after Hüseyin Özgürgün National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus) Tufan Erhürman Republican Turkish Party

On January 7, 2018, people in Northern Cyprus voted in a special election. This election was to choose 50 members for their parliament, called the Assembly of the Republic. These members would serve for five years. Before the election, the government was led by Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün. His government was a team-up (called a coalition) of the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party.

After the election, a new government was formed. It was a coalition of four parties: the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the People's Party, the Communal Democracy Party, and the Democratic Party. The leader of the CTP, Tufan Erhürman, became the new Prime Minister.

Understanding the Election Process

What Happened Before: 2013 Election

The election in 2013 chose Özkan Yorgancıoğlu from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) as Prime Minister. His party joined with the Democratic Party (DP) to form a government. The National Unity Party (UBP) became the main opposition party.

The CTP won 38% of the votes and 21 seats in parliament. The UBP got 27% of the votes and 14 seats. The DP and the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) also won seats. To get into parliament, a party needed at least 5% of the votes.

What Happened Before: 2015 Presidential Election

In 2015, there was an election for President. The election had two rounds. In the first round, the current President, Derviş Eroğlu, got the most votes. Mustafa Akıncı came in second. So, Eroğlu and Akıncı went to a second round of voting. Akıncı won by a lot, becoming the new President of Northern Cyprus.

After this, Özkan Yorgancıoğlu stepped down as Prime Minister. Ömer Kalyoncu became the new Prime Minister. He formed a big coalition government with the CTP and the UBP. But his government didn't last long. In 2016, Hüseyin Özgürgün formed a new government with the DP and the UBP.

How People Voted

The 50 members of the Assembly were chosen using a system called proportional representation. This means that parties get seats based on the percentage of votes they receive. Northern Cyprus is divided into six areas, called multi-member constituencies. Each area elects several members. To win any seats, a party had to get at least 5% of all the votes.

Voters could choose to vote for a whole party list or for individual candidates. If they voted for individual candidates, they could pick as many candidates as there were seats in their area. They could even vote for candidates in other areas, as long as they voted for between 24 and 50 candidates in total.

Parties in the Election

Groups of Parties

Some parties decided to work together for the election. The TKP-YG party teamed up with the United Cyprus Party (BKP). Members of the BKP ran for parliament on the TKP-YG list. Other smaller groups also joined this team.

Campaigns and Promises

National Unity Party (UBP)

The UBP leader, Prime Minister Özgürgün, announced his party's top candidates. Other candidates were chosen by party members voting in a special election.

The UBP talked about how much the economy had grown. They said the minimum wage had gone up. They also took credit for bringing water from Turkey to Northern Cyprus. The UBP wanted to open Varosha, a closed part of Famagusta, under Turkish Cypriot control.

The UBP's main goal was to win enough votes to form a government by themselves. They promised to bring electricity from Turkey, work with Turkey to find natural gas, and create a general health insurance system. They also wanted to make the airport bigger and build new hospitals.

Republican Turkish Party (CTP)

The CTP saw many new, younger candidates joining. Several former prime ministers from the party did not run this time. The party leader, Erhürman, chose some candidates, and others were chosen by party members.

The CTP promised to change the current system. They called the government at the time very corrupt. Their main slogans were "This system will change" and "We will work to achieve it."

The CTP released a plan for the economy and society. They wanted to create a statistics office to help make better decisions. They also planned to increase public investments and improve how money is spent on welfare. Other ideas included a tax for tourists, more local control for towns, and support for new businesses. They also wanted to improve tourism, create a Department of Energy, and help farmers. They aimed to make plane tickets cheaper and improve schools and healthcare.

People's Party (HP)

The HP was a new party. Their slogan was about creating the government people always wanted. The leader, Kudret Özersay, said the election was a choice between the old way of doing things and a new, fairer way.

The HP's main ideas included a health insurance system and longer working hours for doctors in public hospitals. They also wanted to help people with housing and increase benefits. They proposed new laws to make politicians more accountable and to control who gets citizenship. The HP also wanted to open Varosha under Turkish Cypriot control and create a public transport system.

What People Thought (Opinion Polls)

Before the election, different groups asked people who they would vote for. These are called opinion polls. They try to guess what the election results might be.

Election Results

The election results showed that the UBP won the most votes. This was seen as a win for right-wing parties in Northern Cyprus. The number of votes for left-wing parties went down a lot. For the first time, six different parties won seats in parliament. Also, a record number of women were elected, making up 18% of the members. This was thanks to a rule that set aside a certain number of spots for women.

Map showing the election results by district.

Results by Area

What Happened Next

The UBP party felt good about their win. Their leader, Özgürgün, thanked the voters and said the party would keep working on big projects.

The CTP party was very disappointed with their results. Their leader, Erhürman, said they respected the outcome but it wasn't what they wanted. He said the party would continue to fight for their goals.

The People's Party (HP) did well for a new party, but they had hoped for even more. Their leader, Özersay, said the results meant things might not change much in the country. He said his party would keep working for change.

The Rebirth Party (YDP) also had a surprising success. Their leader, Arıklı, called it a "great success."

After the election, the UBP leader, Hüseyin Özgürgün, was replaced. A new government was formed by a team of parties: the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the People's Party, the Communal Democracy Party, and the Democratic Party. The CTP leader, Tufan Erhürman, became the new Prime Minister.

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones parlamentarias de Chipre del Norte de 2018 para niños