2018 Northern Cyprus parliamentary election facts for kids

The coat of arms of Northern Cyprus.

In 2018, people in Northern Cyprus voted in a special election on January 7. This election was to choose 50 members for their parliament, called the Assembly of the Republic. The Assembly of the Republic is where laws are made for the country.

The National Unity Party and other parties that share similar ideas won the most votes in this election.

Political Parties in Northern Cyprus

In an election, different groups called political parties compete to win seats in the parliament. Each party has its own leaders and ideas about how the country should be run. Here are some of the main parties that took part in the 2018 election:

Republican Turkish Party (CTP)

• This party was led by Tufan Erhürman.
• They want to reunite Cyprus, which means bringing the northern and southern parts of the island together again.
• They also believe in social democracy. This means the government should help people with things like healthcare and education.

National Unity Party (UBP)

• This party was led by Hüseyin Özgürgün.
• They are a nationalistic party. This means they strongly support their country's independence and identity.
• They are also conservative. This means they often prefer traditional ways and less government spending.

Democratic Party (DP)

• This party was led by Serdar Denktaş, whose father was Rauf Denktaş.
• Like the National Unity Party, they are also nationalistic and conservative.

Communal Democracy Party (TDP)

• This party was led by Cemal Özyiğit.
• They also support the idea of Cyprus reunification.
• They believe in social democracy, similar to the Republican Turkish Party.

People's Party (HP)

• This party was led by Kudret Özersay.
• They support Cyprus reunification.
• They are a centrist party, meaning their ideas are often in the middle, not too far left or too far right.

Rebirth Party (YDP)

• This party was led by Erhan Arıklı.
• They are a nationalistic party, focusing on national pride and independence.

Communal Liberation Party-New Forces (TKP-YG)

• This party was led by Mehmet Çakıcı.
• They support Cyprus reunification and social democracy.

The United Cyprus Party (BKP) worked with the TKP-YG in an alliance. This meant that BKP members ran for parliament under the TKP-YG name. The New Cyprus Party chose not to join this alliance.

Election Results

The election results show how many votes each party received and how many seats they won in the Assembly of the Republic. The party or parties with the most seats usually form the new government.