Deadline looms on day four of north ‘parliament’ deadlock

As the ‘parliamentary’ deadlock in the north continues into its fourth day, the hard deadline by which the election of a ‘speaker’ is foreseen in the ‘TRNC’s’ constitution now looms large.

Article 83 stipulates that the process of electing a ‘speaker’ must be completed within ten days of the beginning of the legislative year, and with this legislative year in the north having begun on October 1, Thursday marks the expiry of that period.

It is not currently clear what will happen next if that deadline is not adhered to, with matters being made doubly unclear by questions surrounding the other regulatory requirements regarding the election of a ‘speaker’.

One such requirement is that there be no more than five votes in ‘parliament’ to elect a ‘speaker’, and another is that if any nominee receives more than 26 votes against them, they cannot be nominated again in the same legislative year.

The ‘government’ wishes nominate former ‘minister’ and ruling coalition party UBP ‘MP’ Kutlu Evren, despite five votes having taken place on Monday, and despite Evren being rejected by 26 ‘MPs’ in Monday’s fifth vote.

‘Parliament’ has effectively remained closed since Monday night, with lame duck ‘speaker’ and UBP ‘MP’ Zorlu Tore, who was initially the ‘government’s’ nominee but was then withdrawn after losing the first four votes, not having returned to the building since then.

For most of Tuesday, he could not return to ‘parliament’ as he was ‘acting president’ with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in Turkey. Tatar then cut his trip to Turkey short, but Tore was hospitalised with an elevated blood pressure shortly after a meeting at Tatar’s official residence on Tuesday evening.

He has remained in hospital ever since, and in his absence, ‘deputy speaker’ and opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Fazilet Ozdenefe has refused to allow proceedings to go ahead.

Her and her party’s position is that the ruling coalition, made up of the UBP and its two partners the DP and the YDP, must either break the deadlock itself by legal means or call a ‘parliamentary’ election, and as such, she has refused to facilitate proceedings.

To this end, all 19 CTP ‘MPs’ signed a motion shortly before midnight on Tuesday calling for an election to be held on December 15.

On Thursday morning, ‘prime minister’ and UBP leader Unal Ustel met CTP leader Tufan Erhurman to discuss the matter, with Ustel then travelling to Ersin Tatar’s official residence after the meeting.