Turkish Cypriots cast ballots amid economic woes

Turkish Cypriots cast their ballot on Sunday in a snap legislative election in the northern third of the Mediterranean island after a campaign dominated by an economic crisis.

The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus TRNC, recognized only by Ankara, has been hit hard by the Covid epidemic and the plummeting value of the Turkish lira.

There was a lack of interest among the roughly 204,000 voters who are mostly concerned with health, safety and economic welfare, according to analysts.

Political scientists Ahmet Sozen and Devrim Sahin wrote on the website of Italian think tank ISPI, compared to the previous elections in northern Cyprus, there is much less energy and enthusiasm in the air.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces in northern part of the island occupied a part of the island in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta in Greece at the time.

Unlike previous TRNC elections, campaigning focused on the territory's economic woes rather than any talk of a solution to the problem.

The hopes of resolving the dispute suffered a setback when right-wing nationalist Ersin Tatar pulled off a surprise narrow win over pro-unification candidate Mustafa Akinci in the TRNC's 2020 presidential election.

Tatar, a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has pressed for recognition and insisted on a two-state solution at UN-brokered talks on ending the division.

His stance was flatly rejected by the majority Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member with effective control over the southern two-thirds of the island.

The Turkish government accused the Erdogan administration of interference in the TRNC's 2020 presidential election, sparking resentment among many Turkish Cypriots.

There is no need to play an active role in Turkey's government in order to change the course of Sozen's election, according to Sahin.

The TRNC heavily relies on Erdogan's handling of the Turkish economy, which has emerged as the primary issue in the poll, because of Erdogan's handling of the Turkish economy.

"People are depressed because the cost of living is too high," said Dervis Dizliklioglu, 72, a retiree.

I hope that those who are elected will work for the good of the people. The Turkish lira shed 44 percent of its value against the US dollar last year, leading to an increase in prices by a similar amount and exacerbating decades of economic isolation imposed on the north.

The right-wing National Unity Party UBP, which envisions a two-state solution to the island's division, will do the best in the election for a new parliament, where it holds 21 seats, according to Opinion polls.

It is followed by the centre-left Republican Turkish Party CTP, which favors a settlement with the Greek Cypriots.

The campaigning around the latest election has not featured a debate on a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Some on the left have called for a boycott.

The small United Cyprus PartyCyprus Party BKP, which supports a federal solution, stated that nothing will change until Turkish Cypriots are liberated from the yoke of Ankara negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem.

Attempts by the United Nations to revive negotiations in April 2021 ended in failure, as it controls the buffer zone between the Turkish-speaking north and Greek-speaking south.

In 2004, Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan for the creation of a loose federation on the island. The majority of Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the scheme.

Turkish Cypriots will vote until 6: 00 pm, 1600 GMT to elect 50 representatives in six constituencies. On Monday, preliminary results are expected to be released.