Turkish Cypriots ready to form coalition after election result

No party has bagged enough votes to emerge as the governing party in snap parliamentary elections in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which may lead to a coalition government, according to unofficial results Monday. 

The National Unity Party (UBP), led by current Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, got the most votes with 35.44 percent out of the 93 percent total votes counted so far, Supreme Election Committee head Narin Sefik said.

Six of the eight parties running in the elections surpassed the 5 percent threshold needed for representation in the parliament.

The eight parties are the National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democrat Party (DP) - who make up the current coalition government - plus the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Communal Democracy Party (TDP), Peoples' Party (HP), Communal Liberation Party-New Forces (TKP-YG), Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP) and the Renaissance Party (YDP). 

An election threshold of 5 percent applies in the republic, which has over 190,000 eligible voters.

The capital, Lefkosa, is represented by 16 deputies - the highest number among other cities and towns. Gazimagusa is represented by 13 deputies, Girne by 10, Iskele by five, Guzelyurt by four and Lefke by two.

Since the last general elections of January 2013, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has had three coalition governments led by three different prime ministers.

The current UBP-DP coalition government is headed by Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun.

In November, the parliament passed a motion, by a vote of 38-2, calling for early elections. Under the motion, general elections originally planned for July 2018 were moved up seven months to Jan. 7.