myislandcyprus: April 2015

4. VOTING OF THE ANNAN PLAN

The referenda on the Annan Plan, prepared by the UN was held on 24 April 2004. On the G/C side 75.83% of the voters voted for “No”. Whereas on the T/C side, 64.91% voted for “Yes”. The outcome of the referandum on the T/C side was published in the Official Gazette of the TRNC, No.227, 25 April 2004 as follows:

Number of voters : 143,639

Voters participated : 121,162

Valid votes : 119,618

Rate of participation : 84.35 %

Total number of “yes” votes: 77,702 (64.91 %)

Total number of “no” votes : 41,916 (35.09 %)

4.1. The change of percentages, in comparison with the previously held general election

results, showed an increase for the total votes of the pro-solution parties:

14 December 2003 25 April 2004

The pro-solution parties 50.29 % 64.91 %

The non-solution parties 49.69 % 35.09 %

4.2. Kibris newspaper reported on 25 April 2004 that the settlers living in the certain

suburbs of Nicosia, Famagusta and in the villages of Trikomo (Yeni Iskele) and

Yerolakkos (Alaykoy) voted generally in favour of “a solution and for the EU”.

4.3. EVALUATION OF THE REFERANDUM RESULTS ON THE T/C SIDE

The Director of the Center for Research and Cyprus Studies (SOAR), Mr.Kudret Akay

published an analysis of a survey made among 960 persons between 4 and 11 June

2004, which was published in the Radikal newspaper of 30 July 2004. The political

tendencies of the “yes” voters were assessed as follows: 69.7% envisaged a state of

their own, which would be recognized internationally. 67.3 % supported the EU

membership, 66.1% were for a separate sovereignty. 58.5% thought that the

ownership of the properties they used would be legalized. 57.7 % thought that the

TRNC would be a part of an internationally recognized state. Those, who thought of a

common state with the Greek Cypriots, were 33.7% of the “yes” voters. Only 28.1%

said that they voted “yes” in order to “reunify my homeland”.

As for the analysis of the “no” voters, 54.3 % did not want to return the “territories

which were made homeland”. 44% did not want to enter the EU without Turkey’s

membership. 36.5% were against a partnership with the Greek Cypriots. 29.2% of the

“no” voters would be affected negatively by the new property relations and 27.3 % by

the territorial adjustments. 19.2 % thought that there would be no state of their own,

which would be internationally recognized. It is obvious that all these answers

indicate nationalist feelings which were related with “homeland”, “territory” and

“Turkey”.

4.4. THE SUPPORT OF THE USA BEFORE THE REFERANDUM

4.4.1 “A high ranking official of the US Foreign Ministry said that the USA will cooperate

with the EU in order to get rid of the unjustly treatment of the Turkish side, if the

G/C side says “No” to the Annan Plan and the T/C side says “Yes.” (Kibrisli,

10.4.2004)

4.4.2 “The spokesman of the US Foreign Ministry, Richard Boucher, told in a press

conference that in case the outcome of the referandum would be “No” in the G/C

side and “yes” in the T/C side on 24 April 2004, Washington would not let the

Turkish Cypriots to stay out in the cold. He said: “We don’t want to see them being

punished further more.” (Kibris, 16.4.2004)

4.4.3.“The special coordinator of the US Foreign Ministry Thomas Weston told in a press

conference that it was possible in the long run to recognize the TRNC. He said that

their main priority was to get rid of the isolations for the Turkish Cypriots in the

short term and that they worked on a number of measures in coordination with the

EU.” (Kibris, 29.4.2004)

4.4.4. “The special coordinator of the US Foreign Ministry Thomas Weston stated that

they were waiting with excitement the visit of Mehmet Ali Talat to New York as a

guest of Colin Powell, the Foreign Minister of the USA. The Prime Minister of the

TRNC, Talat, is going to meet today the US Foreign Minister as a Prime Minister

from the Northern Cyprus does it for the first time.” (Kibris, 4.5.2004)

4.4.5. “A high ranking official of the US Administration , who did not want to be named,

disclosed to the Anatolian News Agency that Washington did not consider Mr. Rauf

Denktas as the Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community anymore. Instead, they

accept Mehmet Ali Talat, the Prime Minister of the TRNC, as the new leader.

Washington supports fully the representation of the TRNC in the international

Bodies like the IMF, World Bank, UEFA and the Organization of the Islamic

Conference. The meeting between Powell and Talat was a part of the first steps in

this direction. The USA is searching to find a formula to give economic aid to the

TRNC.” (Kibris, 6.5. 2004)

5. EARLY GENERAL PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS HELD ON 20 FEBRUARY

2005

Population of the TRNC : 187,514

Number of voters : 147,249

Voters participated : 118,912

Valid votes : 129,409

Rate of participation : 80.76 %

Name of the political party % of the votes No. of MP’s

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) 44.45 25

National Unity Party (UBP) 31.71 18

Democrat Party (DP) 13.49 6

Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) 5.81 1

New Party (YP) 1.60 -

Nationalist Justice Party (MAP) 0.52 -

5.1. “After the results of the elections were announced, Mr. Nuri Cevikel, the

Chairman of the New Party, complained to the press that half of the population

of the TRNC were originating from Turkey, but there was only one MP in the

Parliament, who originated from Turkey.” (Afrika, 23 February 2005)

5.2. “EvroDi Party of the Greek Cypriots stated that the political dynamics which

follow the line of Ankara were successful in the T/C elections and that 90.000

of the total 150.000 voters were settlers from Turkey.” (Fileleftheros,

23.2.2005)

5.3. “The Turkish ambassador in Nicosia, Aydan Karahan, stated during his visit to

the highest circulation daily Kibris newspaper that Turkey would be watching

the early general elections in the TRNC with unbiased eyes and that there

would be no intervention from outside.” (Kibris, 11 February 2005)

5.4. Basaran Duzgun wrote on the same day in his column:

“The common feeling of the voters is that Turkey will interfere to the election

campaign in the last week before the elections. As we had experienced bad

things in the past, the civil and military persons, given the mission by Ankara,

would be visiting especially the areas, where the Turkish settlers live in dense

population and they would change the direction of the Turkish voters according

to their wishes. This will affect the result of the elections. Because thousands of

voters of Turkish origin are under the influence of Turkish civil and military

officials. If about a 10% of the total votes would be directed as a block to a

certain party, both the number of the MP’s and the arithmetics in the parliament

would change. Thus one could determine which party would make a coalition

with which other party.

We have experienced this scenario often during the previous elections. Are we

going to see its repetition again? Will Turkey interfere again to the elections? I

have to state immediately that our newspaper Kibris made a sensitive research

and we have reached to the conclusion that neither in Karpasia nor in Famagusta

region nor in any other part of the country, there is no trace of interference to

the elections.” (Kibris, 11 February 2005)

5.5. Another columnist of Kibris, Hasan Hasturer, wrote on 12 February 2005

under the title “Ankara does not have even a bit of ‘worry’ about the

elections!” the following remarks:

“It’s bitter to say, but it is a fact that we have experienced in all the elections

that I remember intervention in one form or another. Intervention was made in

various forms. The voters originating from Turkey were kept under a form

which would be easily controlled. Every kind of pressurizing message was

conveyed to them in a very short time. Their votes were controlled

professionally. For this purpose, everyone from influential politicians to retired

generals were used.

Some institutions and organizations in the TRNC were also used by

overreaching their aims. No one can say that these have not happened. Even it is

also known that resources were allocated and sent from the covered payment

accounts of Turkey for the elections in the TRNC.... I remind to those, who

forgot, that the officials used the police and forced the coffee-shops to close and

they cut their electricity. The newspapers and the TV channels were used many

times for the intervention to the elections. Forget approaching to the

oppositional parties equally, they behaved against them as if they were

“infidels”... Both the military and the Embassy were being used without any

cover-up in these operations. Were these pressures effective? In general, yes,

they were. That is why we still have bleeding wounds in our democracy,

because of these pressures. The pressures were successful in defeating many

parties. They were forced to have good relations with the centres of pressure.

It was a criteria not to stir them a bit during the formation of the governments

and the party cadres.”

5.6. There were indirect interventions also from some foreign countries in

favour of the RTP:

5.6.1. “The Foreign Minister of the USA Condolezza Rice left Ankara after her

visit. She gave an important message to the Turkish Cypriots: “We are

working on the possibilities of lifting the isolations on the TRNC and we

plan to take some steps in this direction.” (Halkin Sesi, 7.2.2005)

5.6.2. “10 Turkish Cypriot Bank Officials visited the USA within the CYPEG

program which was established for the lessening of the isolations of the

Turkish Cypriots.” (Halkin Sesi, 10.2.2005)

5.6.3. “US President George W.Bush allocated 20 million dollars in the 2006

Budget in order to support the peace process in Cyprus.” (Kibris,

10.2.2005)

5.6.4. “The US Ambassador Michael Klosson gave information at the TRNC

Office of his Embassy about the CYPEG programme which will distribute

30.5 million dollars for the development of the T/C economy.” (Kibris,

12.2.2005)

5.6.5. “Richard Boucher, the spokesman of the US Foreign Ministry said that the

visit of the Turkish representatives of the 12 American companies to the

TRNC for investment possibilities was a try to get rid of the isolation of the

T/C.” (Kibris, 20.2.2005)

5.6.6. “The visit of Mehmet Ali Talat, the Prime Minister of the TRNC to Mr.Jose

Manuel Durao Barosso, the President of the EU Commission and to the

Foreign Minister of the USA. (Volkan, 10.2.2005)

5.6.7. “The visit of Baroness Sarah Ludford, member of the Liberal Group of the

European Parliament to the TRNC. (Kibris, 5.2.2005)

5.6.8. “Visit of the Vice-Chairpersons of the Socialist Group of the European

Parliament, Jam Marinus Wiersma and Hannes Swoboda, with the

members, Mechtild Roth and Panagiotis Beglitis. (Kibris, 6.2.2005)

5.6.9. US Foreign Minister congratulates Talat

“The Foreign Minister of the US Condolezza Rice congratulated Mehmet

Ali Talat, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the RTP, on the occasion

of his success in the General Elections. She said that the US will continue to

make further steps for lifting the isolation on the North.” (Kibris, 19.3.2005)

6. RESULTS OF THE TRNC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 17

APRIL 2005

Name of the candidate % of the votes

1. Mehmet Ali Talat 55.60

2. Dr.Dervis Eroglu 22.73

3. Dr.Mustafa Arabacioglu 13.22

4. Nuri Cevikel 4.79

5. Zeki Besiktepeli 1.72

6. Huseyin Angolemli 1.05

7. Zehra Cengiz 0.44

8. Arif Salih Kirdag 0.30

9. Ayhan Kaymak 0.17

Number of registered voters : 147,823

Participated voters : 102,853

Participation rate : 69.58 %

6. 1. “The outgoing President of the TRNC, Rauf Denktas, made his comment

about the Presidential Elections: “If Mr.Talat will comply with his promise

that he would be above the political parties and he would embrace all of

them, we shall support him. His aim was to get 65% of the votes, but he

could get 55%. This a bit of a learner’s mistake... We would prefer

Mr.Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, not to put his weight with his

statement in favour of Mr.Talat for the period after 17 April.” (Kibris, 18

April 2005)

6.2. The votes of the settlers were influential

“The balance was affected by the settlers’ votes in favour of Talat in the

regions of Trikomo (Yeni Iskele) with 44% and in Famagusta 54.39%. This

indicates that with the influence of the AKP (Justice and Development Party

of Turkey) the votes of the settlers were diverted to the candidate of the

RTP... The participation rate dropped 12% in comparison to the last

elections. This mass is supposed to be the voters of the UBP and DP, who

reacted to the foreign interventions of the AKP and the foreign powers that

imposed Talat. ” (Sabahattin Ismail, Editorial of the Volkan daily, 18.4.2005)

6.3. “According to a survey made by Mete Hatay for the Peace Research Institute

of Oslo (PRIO), there are 28 villages most of them in the districts of Trikomo

(Iskele) and Famagusta and also in other districts, where all the inhabitants are

settlers from Turkey. They have a total of 8,162 voters. 5,652 of them went to

the pools in the recent Presidential Elections. 32% of them voted for Talat. 26

% voted for Nuri Cevikel, a candidate of settler origin himself, aiming

especially at the settlers’ votes. Of course, there are a lot of voters of Turkish

origin almost in every village and district . But it seems that their number does

not go beyond 20 to 25 thousand among the total 147,823 voters. It means that

the votes of the Turkish Cypriots are still the “elective” ones.” (Yeni Duzen,

3.5.2005)

6.4. “If you do not call this intervention, so what is it?” was the title of Dr.Erhan

Arikli in Volkan, 12.4.2005. The columnist referred to the visits to the TRNC

by Mr.Lajendik, the president of the Turkish-EU Common Parliamentary

Commission and Mr.Baykal, the chairman of the Republican People’s Party

(CHP) of Turkey before the Presidential Elections.”

7. The change in the total number of voters since 2000:

Date General Elections

2003 141,596

2004 143,639 (Referandum)

2005 147,249 (Presidential Elections)

(2006 178,031 Census)

2009 161,373

7.1. The unreliable statistics from the officials

During the discussion of the Budget of his Ministry, Ozkan Murat, the

Minister of Interior, told that there were 178,000 (TRNC) citizens in the

TRNC. 40,000 foreigners are working. There are 7,000 children of the

(Turkish) workers. The de facto population was 265,000 and the de jure

population was 258.000. (Kibris, 20.12.2008)

7.2. “State News Agency of the TRNC, TAK, published in its bulletin of 13 March

2009 that 198,006 voters would be eligible to vote in the general elections to

be held on 19 April. All the Turkish Cypriot daily newspapers wrote on 14

March 2009 that the number of the voters, who would be able to vote in 6

districts of the TRNC was 198, 006.

7.3. On 22 March, Kibris Newspaper put this number of voters to the cover of its

“Election Supplement”, which prompted a statement by the Election Supreme

Board. The Board said in its announcement No.18 that the population of the

citizens in each district were given mistakenly as the number of the voters in

each district. The number of the eligible voters would be corrected as 159,906.

198.006 was the estimated total population of the TRNC. (Kibris, 23.3.2009)

7.4. On 30 March 2009, the number of the voters was declared as 161,373 in the

announcement No.23 of the Election Supreme Board. It was said that this was

the final number after the rejections and the corrections were assessed. (Kibris,

31.3.2009)

7.5. An estimate about the number of the original Turkish Cypriots

On 9 March 2009, Afrika newspaper announced that according to the

information the newspaper gathered, the number of the original Turkish

Cypriots was 62,500, i.e. one third of the total number of the voters of the

approximately 180,000 voters. About 47,000 Turkish citizens were waiting to

get the citizenship of the TRNC after the elections, the newspaper added.

Writing in the same newspaper, the columnist Turgut Afsaroglu estimated that

there were 173.000 voters, out of which 63.000 were of Cypriot and the

remaining of Turkish origin. He also gave various numbers about the

population of the TRNC: The Prime Minister estimates 250,000 de-facto

population. President Talat says minimum 500,000. Some others think of

a minimum 700-800.000.

8. EARLY GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 19 APRIL 2009

Number of voters : 161,373

Voters participated : 131,178

Rate of participation : 81.29 %

Name of the political party % of the votes No.of MP’s

National Unity Party (UBP) 44.04 26

Republican Turkish Party (CTP) 29.26 15

Democrat Party (DP) 10.65 5

Communal Democracy Party (TDP) 6.87 2

Freedom and Reform Party (ORP) 6.21 2

For the 50 seats in the Parliament, there were 356 candidates from 7 parties

and 8 independents. The total number of the candidates, who originated

from Turkey was 71. (Afrika, 23.3.2009) Only three of them could be

elected from Yeni Iskele (Trikomo) district, which is densely populated with

the settlers: DP (Ejder Aslanbaba from Adana), ORP (Mustafa Gokmen

from Trabzon) UBP(Ahmet Zengin from Caykar-Uzungol/Blacksea).

4 women were elected as MP’s (2 UBP and 2 CTP-BG). Out of 50

Parliamentarians, 17 are medical doctors, one less than the previous

Parliament. (Volkan, 21.4.2009)

8.2. Intervention to the general elections

The CTP government forced the owner of the highest circulation Kibris

newspaper to take away its editor, Resat Akar, for three weeks before the

elections, because the Kibris newspaper was criticizing the government and it

published a public opinion pool, which showed that the CTP’s popular support

fell from 45% to 28%. On 12 March 2009, the CTP government asked for the

payment of 9 million TL tax from the previous years between 2002 and 2009 in 24 hours.

Oddly enough, the Kibris newspaper was awarded by the same government

together with other companies as tax-champion five months ago. The problem

was settled later by paying 4 million TL as the first installment immediately and

by using milder language against the government’s policies. (see for the details

Kibris, 13.3.2009 and Havadis, 30.3.2009)

8.3. Kadir Toptas, the metropolitan mayor of Istanbul, sent a specially decorated

election bus of the AK Party, plate Number 34 FFG 01 to the ORP Party of

Turgay Avci. (Havadis, 9.4.2009)

8.4. Under the title “Full supported Turkish intervention to the elections in the

TRNC”, Kartal Harman wrote in Kibrisli newspaper on 10 March 2009:

“ORP was formed as an alternative to the DP since there was a rift between

the AKP government in Turkey and Denktas and his son’s party DP, which

dissolved its coalition government with the CTP. At this point, the

intervention to the internal politics of the TRNC was at its climax. One felt

increasingly and speedily the intervention of the AKP and almost all the

leaders of the AKP participated at the congress of the ORP, giving the message

that the AKP is standing by the ORP. Likewise the deputy Chairperson of the

Democratic Left Party (DSP), Melda Bayer, participated at the congress of the

DP, which was held last Sunday. All they do is nothing, but to influence the

Turkish settlers. The existing great potential will be exploited in order to

influence especially the right wing with their competition of serious maneuvers.

Therefore the representatives of the parties of Turkish Republic started to

interfere the internal politics of the TRNC. As one can understand here, the

fate of the elections will not be determined by the Turkish Cypriots, but by the

citizens, originating from Turkey, who came at various times to the island.”

8.5. Afrika wrote on 13 March 2009 in the column “Letter from Afrika” the

following:

“Look around. You will see that the deputies from the AKP and their election

specialists are participating at the election campaign of a party by visiting each

and every village. Is this not an intervention? Veysi Kaynak, Kahramanmaras

Mp of the AKP is among us. On Thursday Egemen Bagis will be coming.

Is he not the god of the intervention? Why do they speak of the intervention in

1998? Don’t you see this log in your eyes?”

8.6. “The Second Indictment of the Ergenekon Case was introduced to the Court in

Turkey yesterday. According to this Indictment (Page 437), The Chairman of

the Turkish Metal Trade Union, Mustafa Ozbek, was made TRNC citizen in

2003 with the order of Rauf Denktas, who was then the President of the

TRNC. In the same period Yalcin Taner brought many persons to Cyprus in

order to interfere to the elections and with this support Dervis Eroglu won the

elections.” (Havadis, 26 March 2009)

It was also disclosed way back in March 2007 by the Nokta magazine that

the Commander of the Turkish Marine, Vice-Admiral Ozden Ornek wrote in

his daily journal that the Turkish generals had planned two military putches

under code names “Sarikiz” (Yellow Girl) and “Ay Isigi” (Moonlight) in 2004

during the days of the Annan Plan to be voted in Cyprus. The putches were

organized by the Ergenekon organization in order to topple the Erdogan

government, which supported the Annan Plan and the coupists were stopped

by Hilmi Ozkok, who was then the Chief of Staff.

8.7. Among the evidence files of the Ergenekon Case in Turkey, there was a report

submitted to Mr.Dervis Eroglu. The report was signed by the “Supreme Council”

and was prepared by the “Western Study Group” and was found in the

house of Mustafa Ozbek, who was arrested. (Mr.Ozbek, who was the leader of

the nationalist Turkish Metal Trade Union of Turkey, was given the TRNC

citizenship and he established a TV station in the TRNC broadcasting via

satellite also to Turkey.) The report was published in the Havadis newspaper on

8 April 2009 and it referred to the intervention from Turkey to the general

elections of 6 December 1998: “Urgently”17.5 million TL were sent through

Mr.Ozbek and the money was distributed two days ago before the elections. A

further one million dollars from the “covered budget” were brought to the

TRNC in order to get rid of certain candidates and to support others as future

MP’s. The aim was to secure 24 deputies for Mr.Eroglu’s party. There were

plans that Eroglu would be supported against Rauf Denktas in the Presidential

Elections of 2000. (Havadis, 8 April, 2009)

8.8. The Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vakiflar Bank, Ahmet

Keskin, told in a news conference that there were problems of getting the re-

payment of the credits, which amount 131 million out of the total 300 trillion

TL, distributed in the period between 2005 and 2006. He said that the debts

overtaken from the Akdeniz Garanti Bank were not dealt with and the files

were waiting on the shelves. Keskin accused also the governing CTP that 500

persons received credits for small enterprizes short before the general elections

as “election bribe”, which amount already 8 trillion TL. (Kibris, 15.4.2009)

8.9. Rauf Denktas explained the reason why there was a boom for the UBP votes:

“The UBP bought votes. During the day, the participation rate was 60%,

but suddenly in the afternoon it increased to 80%. Unfortunately those who

got their money, ran to the pools” (Kibris, 20.4.2009)

8.10. “Serdar Denktas, the Chairman of the DP told in a radio program, broadcast

by SIM-FM that they too bought votes as every political party does. There

are persons now, who for one head, they bargain with you, starting from 300

to 100 liras. We bought too, but our possibilities were less and we bought

within that framework. It is in the hands of ours, the politicians, to take

measures against those demands... This we lived in the last two hours of the

voting when the people arrived from their picnics. No party should deny this.

I can proove it in front of them.” (Yeni Duzen, 23.4.2009)

8.11. Market for Votes was established. The will of the people was bought.

Democracy was killed. People’s will was bought by a rate of 25-30%. Is this

not a reason to cancel the elections? We invite the Supreme Election Council

to do its duty. (Headline of the Kibrisli, 24.4.2009)

9. Further meddling of Turkey into the internal politics of the Turkish Cypriots

9.1. The political activities of Ahmet Yonluer:

Ahmet Yonluer, a close friend of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for 15 years, was appointed as the Head of the Religious Affairs Department on 6 July 2005. He was previously Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Aid and was appointed in October 2004 as an adviser for Islamic countries in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

9.1.1 Kibris newspaper reported on 18 September 2006 that former President of the TRNC, Rauf Denktas spoke in Istanbul during a conference organized by the Workers’ Party. Denktas said: “An operation was done in Cyprus and we call this as “Muftu Operation”. Muftu made this operation by using the name of Prime Minister Erdogan his religious influence. Through this way, the Democratic Party, which was very cautious about concessions, was sent away from the coalition government.”

Denktas told that it was a mistake of Turkey to accept the Annan Plan and Turkey opened the door for many concessions. We think that concessions will be made with the new government. There is only one way to stop this. Erdogan should say this: “Muftu is not my man. He cannot use my name. I am not involved in this operation.” We wait from him to say this in the name of justice and fairness.

Denktas alleged that the Turkish Cypriots were deceived by letting them say “yes” to the Annan Plan and they continue to live its consequences and it was the duty of everyone to stop them being deceived for the second time.

9.2. Formation of the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP)
The AKP intervened to the internal politics of the TRNC, which ended the coalition government between the CTP-BG and DP. For this purpose, the resignation of some Deputies from the UBP and the DP was organized and the coalition government of the CTP-BG with the DP came to an end. In this way, Serdar Denktas and his party DP were sent out of power.

The Freedom and Reform Party (Ozgurluk ve Reform Partisi) was founded on 15 September 2006 by the former members of the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party. The Chairman of the ORP, Turgay Avci, was the Secretary-General of the UBP and resigned on 7th September with three other members of the UBP (the two deputies E.Serdaroglu and E.Sanlidag and the mp Secretary-General of the UBP, Enver Ozturk). Another mp from the Democratic Party (Mustafa Gokmen) resigned from his party in order to become one of the founders of the ORP.

The chairman of the ORP was appointed as the Mp Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the CTP-BG and ORP Coalition Government, formed on 25 September 2006. The ORP had two other ministries. Enver Ozturk, who was the mp Secretary General of the UBP was appointed as the Minister of Economy and Tourism. Asim Vehbi was appointed as the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, to be replaced by Mustafa Gokmen in March 2008. The coalition government lasted until 5 May 2009.

Now the ORP has two Deputies in the Parliament (Turgay Avci, Mustafa Gokmen).

The ORP supported Mehmet Ali Talat in the Presidential Election of 18 April 2010, which caused the resignation of some party members, among them some candidates for the parliamentary elections.

9.2.1. UBP Nicosia Mp, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, told: “The CTP was recently in some activities in order to get rid of its coalition partner DP and to establish a new organization or to support a group, which will obey and stay in its orbit. These activities reached to a point where mp markets were set up.” (Volkan, 9.9.2006)

9.2.2. UBP Famagusta Mp, Ahmet Kasif told: “Ahmet Yonluer phoned me in August when he was in my home in Adana and asked me to resign from the UBP and establish a new party, to be the chairman and to make coalition with the CTP. Yonluer was in Istanbul then. He could get me from Adana to Istanbul in a few hours with a private airplane to Istanbul. Three years in coalition. No problem. Everything will be provided, material and spiritual. (Volkan, 14.9.2006)

9.2.3. DP Chairman Serdar Denktas told to the columnist Fatih Cekirge of Hurriyet newspaper that 600 thousand dollars bribe was proposed to a DP MP so that he would resign… I shall ask for an app. from the Turkish Prime Minister and ask his opinion after telling him these allegations.

Serdar Denktas gave another statement to the Milliyet newspaper: “AKP MP-Chairman Saban Disli played a role in the transfer of deputies from my party and the UBP in order to establish the ORP. For the first time, religion and politics came together in Cyprus and after the coalition government was broken, the military phoned me, but no one from the AKP government. (Volkan, 19.9.2006)

9.2.4. Vakit newspaper’s main title: “Save Cyprus from Denktas’es.” Zaman newspaper wrote: “Serdar Denktas said that Ahmet Yonluer proposed 600 thousand dollars in order to destroy the government. Yonluer, who used to be Serdar’s adviser for Islamic countries, responded to this allegation as follows: “It is easy to accuse. I can also say that Serdar Denktas embezzled trillions liras when he was in power. Can I prove it? If he has documents about me, he should disclose them. Rauf Denktas and Serdar Denktas want to weaken the AKP in Turkey by using my name. Since Erdogan was elected as the Prime Minister, Rauf Denktas could not digest it. As a proof of this, he cooperated with the marginal groups like the Workers’ Party, since Erdogan came to power. He participated at meetings and conferences, which were against the AKP. Now he uses my name and tries to shoot the AKP and the government. Their main aim is to weaken Erdogan.” (Kibrisli, 20.9.2006)

9.2.5 ANAP Mersin MP, Huseyin Guler, asked in the Grand Assembly of Turkey a question to be answered by the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “Did Saban Disli, Vice-Chairman of the AKP and Foreign Relations Secretary meddled in the politics in the TRNC? If this is true, what was the reason?” (Kibris, 21.9.2006)

9.2.6. President of the TRNC, Mehmet Ali Talat gave a statement to Milliyet newspaper about the AKP’s coup in the TRNC. Talat said: “If the AKP meddled here in one way or another, this has been done or not. If someone from here asked for advice from Turkey, this is not meddling. If this happened, it is natural that I do not know how. (Kibrisli, 25.9.2006)

9.2.7. Ahmet Yonluer, a close friend of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is being accused of having an influential role in the government crisis in the TRNC and in the resignation of some deputies. Yonluer has made a place in the agenda of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot press for a long time. Yonluer also directed strong criticism to father Rauf Denktas and his son Serdar Denktas. Serdar Denktas told that Yonluer made indecent proposal to one of the DP deputies with 600 thousand dollars, to another one 400 thousand dollars and a post of a ministry.

Muftu Yonluer denied these as lies and said completely opposite: “ Many deputies who wanted to become minister or party leader, passed through my room. They knew that I was close to the AKP and the Prime Minister Erdogan in Turkey. They were persons who asked for help from me.

Father Denktas is very much angry. Because after him, his son also left the power and lost his armchair. They have been asking for help from me for a long time. Now that they lost the armchair, I became a bad man. They indicate me as a target everywhere. My family is very much embarrassed and has concerns. But I declare from here that if my nose bleeds, my head wounds, they have to see father Denktas as responsible. (Dialog weekly, 29.9.2006)

9.2.8. Prime Minister Ferdi Sabir Soyer spoke in the Parliament: “When President Talat was talking with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, Talat said that the Prime Minister of the TRNC could not find someone to appoint as Muftu. Erdogan told Talat: “If you think of appointing Ahmet Yonluer, don’t do. Because he is a friend of mine since 15 years. There can be serious speculations.” Talat told this to me. Serdar came and insisted. Then we appointed Ahmet Yonluer after his proposal. I had to disclose this as my responsibility to my conscience.” (Kibrisli, 5.10.2006)

9.2.9. Kibris newspaper reported on 20.12.2006 that the independent deputy Erden Ozaskin, who resigned on 24 July 2006 from his party, entered the ORP. Now the ORP, the small partner of the coalition government has 4 seats in the parliament and the bigger partner CTP-BG has 25 deputies.

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE EX-MUFTU, AHMET YONLUER

9.3. On 14 August 2007 Ahmet Yonluer gave his resignation to Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer. He said that he would now be in a position to answer the attacks to his personality. He continued: “The dimension of these attacks made it necessary that I, as Ahmet Yonluer, should take a more influential role in the political life of the Turkish Cypriots.” (Volkan, 15.8.2007)

9.3.1. Turkish daily HURRIYET newspaper wrote on 15.8.2007 that the Head of the Religious Affairs Department in the TRNC, Ahmet Yonluer, who played an active role so that the coalition government of Republican Turkish Party – Freedom and Reform Party (CTP-OP) to come into power, has resigned from his post in order to engage in politics. According to the paper, Ahmet Yonluer who is close to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resigned from his post due to accusations directed against him regarding his post. In a written statement issued regarding his resignation, Mr. Yonluer stated that he has decided to leave his duty as Head of the Religious Affairs Department of the Turkish Cypriots in order the institution, which is one of the most pre-eminent bodies for the Turkish Cypriots, not to loose its influence and for him to be able to react strongly towards the accusations against him. He went on and said that these accusations made his entry into politics inevitable.

9.3.2. Ahmet Yonluer, who resigned from his post as the Head of the Religious Affairs Department, gave a statement to Halkin Sesi: “I entered into politics in the name of our citizens from Turkey, who are humiliated and I want to embrace them. We are coming not with words, but for real equality. We put our head for this road in order to bring the understanding of service to our country where our citizens were neglected and opposed by the previous administrations, without discriminating them from our Turkish Cypriot citizens. Commenting on the news that he would become the secretary-general of the ODP, Yonluer said that “if he would do politics in the ORP, I shall do whatever task I would be given. We do not choose. We only want to secure the people… The elections were made in Turkey. The AKP won a victory. The UBP and the DP were not satisfied with this. If the AKP would lose, these two parties would make celebrations with a convoy. (Halkin Sesi, 17.8.2007)

9.3.3. Yonluer gave a statement to the weekly Dialog newspaper:

“Question: Why did you wait the results of the elections in Turkey in order to resign?

Answer: If I would resign before the elections, they would say “He resigned because the AKP would lose.” I did not want to give them this chance, therefore I waited. I am very happy that I resigned after the big victory of the AKP and Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

There are ten thousands of persons, who became citizens and the percentage of the citizens with Turkish origin who are voters in the elections, has reached to 40%. They have given to these people the posts of nurse or police. There is only one MP with the Turkish origin in the parliament. I am against this. I do not want to make discrimination between the Cypriots and the Turks, but I want that these people should be given the right of representation both in the parliament, cabinet and in the public services. I shall start a campaign in this direction.”

(Dialog, 17.8.2007)

9.3.4. The ex-Muftu of the Turkish Cypriots gave a statement to the Greek Cypriot newspaper Alithia and said that he aimed at bringing all the right persons together like Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made. He said that he is following his footsteps (Kibris, 27.8.2007)

9.3.5. The UBP Secretary-General Nazim Cavusoglu published a statement on the first anniversary of the 8th September- The Black Day when our democracy was stabbed. He referred to the founders of the ORP, Enver Ozturk and Turgay Avci, who met the CTP Secretary-General Omer Kalyoncu and the CTP Nicosia Deputy Ahmet Barcin, in the house of Enver Ozturk one year ago. This picture was already published and the event was named officially as political indecency. (Volkan, 8.9.2007)

9.3.6. Under the title “The first step to politics by Yonluer”, Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper reported on 14.9.2007 in its first page that a new political movement with the name “Movement for Politics for the People” was established officially. The former Mufti, who acts as the spokesman of the new political movement, Mr Ahmet Yonluer, stated, inter alia, that the aim of the new movement is to unite the Turkish Cypriots under a new political formation which would also promote Turkish Cypriots’ religious identity as well as their political character. Noting that there is discrimination between the Turkish Cypriots and the Turks from Turkey in the country and that the problem is not solved by denying its existence, Yonluer argued that this problem will be solved with the Muslim Turkish Cypriot identity. Mr Yonluer also said that the new party has no connection with any other political party, neither the Turkish Cypriot “Freedom and Reform Party”, nor the ruling “Justice and Development Party” in Turkey.

9.3.7. Ahmet Yonluer established the Movement for Politics for the People yesterday…. Yonluer said that a scientific poll gave the result that almost 50% of the people did not trust the politicians in the TRNC. Cyprus problem will be solved with the Moslem identity of the Turkish Cypriots. Yonluer stated that he learned from the similar scientific studies of the AKP and take it as an example. He added that the Movement does not have direct contact with the AKP. (Kibris, 14.9.2007)

9.3.8. Ahmet Yonluer told in a programme of the Kanal T that he is going to Ankara on Monday. The list is ready… They told me to bring together clean and decent persons in Cyprus. Then we can give you the necessary support and I made a list of those people, who support our Movement. (Kibrisli, 16.9.2007)

9.3.9. Columnist Aydin Akkurt wrote in Volkan on 26.9.2007 the following:

“Yonluer was already making politics when he was in his office. We remember very well how he was involved in the resignation of some UBP and DP deputies and in the formation of the ORP.

After he resigned, we heard that he would enter the ORP and even become its secretary-general. Later he started a new organization, named “Politics for the People” (HIS).

There were allegations that HIS was a branch of the ORP and one day it will merge with the ORP. According to those, who alleged this, HIS was formed in order to secure popular basis for the ORP.

We have to look at Yonluer’s attitude and position. According to his statements, he tries to establish a party, based on the discrimination between the Turks and Cypriots. He is also in close contact with the ex-Chairman of the YDP, Orhan Ucok and the ex-minister Hasan Yumuk.

He attacks also the ORP. But why? Is there a new complot, being prepared by HIS?”

9.3.10. Under the title “Ertugruloglu is following directions” Turkish Cypriot daily newspaper Afrika reported on 4.10.2007 in its first page that officials from the National Unity Party (UBP) who do not seem to be able to succeed in applying the boycott of the assembly’s sessions, started some time ago, they went again to Ankara yesterday and met with Egemen Bagis, who is the member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Responsible of Foreign Relations. Ertugruloglu and UBP’s general secretary Nazim Cavusoglu will make statements about their contacts in Ankara after their return to occupied Cyprus. Afrika wrote that this is the most difficult time in its history for UBP which is suffering loses. The paper wrote that the split within the party is growing bigger.

9.3.11. Ahmet Yonluer gave the following statement yesterday: “After our movement matures to a certain extend, we think of forming a party. The infra-structure is being prepared by expert teams... There is only one deputy in the 50-seats-parliament, who came after 1974 as a citizen from Turkey. We put the picture to the front. Unfortunately there is such a picture in the country, either we accept it or not. (Kibris, 4.10.2007)

9.3.12.Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper wrote on 18.10.2007 that Ahmet Yonluer went to Ankara in order to have various contacts with Turkish politicians and to inform them about his political movement. Mr Yonluer will meet with the chairman of the Republican People’s Party Deniz Baykal, the MP of the Justice and Development Movement (AKP) and former Speaker of the Turkish Assembly Bulent Arinc and the chairman of the Nationalist Action Party Devlet Bahceli. Mr Yonluer has already held contacts with various ministers of the AKR government.

9.3.13. Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper reported on 18.10.2007 in its first page that it was learned that the Responsible for Political Affairs of the US Embassy, Chris Pancio, visited the Culture and Solidarity Association of Persons from Hatay (Allexandretta) on the 3rd and 4th of October together with his own translator. During the first visit Mr Pancio was accompanied by the chairman of the Politics for the People Movement (HIS) Ahmet Yonluer and on the second visit by two other members of the HIS. On Pancio’s first visit with Yonluer to the Association, a meeting was arranged with the members of the executive committee of the association. At the meeting Mr Yonluer gave information about HIS and Pancio is quoted to have said the following to the members of the executive committee who attended the meeting: “I want you to support the Politics for the People Movement (HIS) and to work towards this direction. If you support the HIS Movement, we, as US Embassy, we will support projects that will develop your association and we will give every kind of help from the material point of view”.

Referring to the issue, from the column “Letter from Volkan” columnist Aydin Akkurt, wrote on the same day, inter alia, that it is not yet known whether the US Embassy helped towards the establishment of HIS movement; however, HIS chairman Ahmet Yonluer is getting ready to transform the Movement into a party and he is not alone in this effort. The columnist went on and wrote the following: “What is the connection between Yonluer and HIS movement with the Responsible for Political Affairs of the US Embassy, Chris Pancio? What are the expectations of the USA from the HIS Movement? Why does USA support this movement?”

9.3.14. Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan newspaper reported on 19.10.2007 that the news reported one day ago by the paper, that the US Embassy Official in Lefkosia, Chris Pancio, Responsible for Political Affairs (as written by the paper), visited the Culture and Solidarity Association of People coming from Hatay, were confirmed.

Abdullah Atlar, the chairman of the Association, pointing out that Mr Pancio visited the Association, revealed the details of the conversation took place between Mr Pancio at the Association members. Atlar said that he told Mr Pancio, who was giving emphasis to the “differences between (Turkish) Cypriots and Turkish (settlers)”, that there is no difference between them. “The Turks wherever they live they are Turks and the Turkish Cypriot people are one integral entity”, he said.

Mr Atlar also said that Mr Pancio was asking insistently about the number of the members of the Association. Mr Atlar told Mr Pancio that the Culture and Solidarity Association is one of the biggest non-governmental organizations in the TRNC. He also told him that regarding the Cyprus problem they support the active and de facto guarantee of Turkey for a just and lasting solution. He also said that the Turkish Cypriot people was deceived at the referendum and the promises made to them were not kept. Pancio also wanted to know how the Association evaluates all the political parties in occupied Cyprus with the Politics for the People Movement (HIS). Mr Pancio made some evaluations himself as well. Mr Atlar told Mr Pancio the Turkish Armed Forces and Security Forces Commandership is a safeguard for the Turkish Cypriot people to live in safety and peace.

9.3.15. After 5 months, the HIS Party was established last Friday (14 December 2007) with 64 founders and made a press conference yesterday in the City Royal Hotel.

9.3.16. Afrika wrote on 26.11.2007 under the title “Comment of the Day” that those with Turkish origin are being transferred to ORP. The prominent persons of the other parties too. On the same day Kibrisli reported that before the ORP congress, two mayors entered the ORP.

9.4. FIRST CONGRESS OF THE ORP:

On 25.11.07 Turgay Avci has been re-elected as the leader of the Freedom and Reform Party. With no other candidate for the post, the ORP leader, Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Turgay Avci was automatically re-elected as the leader of the ORP.

Addressing the party’s first general congress meeting yesterday, Avci said that his party had been established just over a year ago by 4 people who had risked their political careers’. The message of the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was read by Egemen Bagis, who represented the AKP. He is the(19.10.07) Deputy Chairman of the AKP and an MP of the AKP from Istanbul. Among other guests from Turkey were Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is deputy chairman of the Foreign Relations of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and an MP of the AKP from Antalya and Menderes Turel, Mayor of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and some other ex-ministers and Deputies. (Kibris, 26.11.2007)

9.4.1. Referring on the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper reported on 26.11.2007 under banner headlines ‘Ankara has found its party” and referred to the Freedom and Reform Party’s (ORP) Annual Congress and said that “the crushing majority of the members of the ORP are citizens of the Republic of Turkey. The ORP with the active support of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has become the leader of the rightist front. It is expected that with the first elections several citizens of the Republic of Turkey will be elected deputies and will take their seats at the Assembly. During the last elections, since there was no alternative, the AKP had supported and channelled the Turkish votes to the RTP. This time the AKP is getting ready to use all its support for the ORP. Ankara considers ORP as the party which will be able to accommodate both the Turkish Cypriots and the Turks together. The ORP in 14 months opened 234 party regional offices. They say that it is being financed by circles close to AKP”.

9.4.2. Referring to the same issue, Turkish Cypriot daily Sozcu newspaper reported on 26.11.2007 on the ORP’s congress under banner headlines: “This is not a Bank’s credit Card” and says that the Italian Parliamentarian Maurizio Turco, who was invited to the congress by the ORP leader Turgay Avci, addressing the congress took out from his pocket the so-called Identity Card of the “TRNC” and branding it to the audience and referring to the Archbishop Chrysostomos II said: “This not a bank’s credit card but the TRNC ID card with which I am proud. He urged the Archbishop to act as a religious man and not as politician during his visits in Europe and if he continues to act like politician they will receive him as politician and not a religious man. He also said that they will invite Mr. Turgay Avci to the European Parliament, not as a citizen but as the “Foreign Minister of the TRNC.”

9.4.3. Under the title “UBP (National Unity Party) -ORP (Freedom and Reform Party) Coalition?” Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper reported on 25.11.2007 that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, is working on a new scenario aiming to take the Republican Turkish Party of Mehmet Ali Talat away from the “government”. The paper wrote that after AKR established the ORP in order to put in the sidelines the Democratic Party of Serdar Denktas, now is taking the second step in order to change the political balance in occupied Cyprus. According to the paper, AKR wants to get rid of CTP so that a new political coalition may be formed between the UBP and the ORP. Invoking sources, the paper writes that this development came after pressure put to AKP from some nationalist circles in Ankara which did not digest the fact that CTP is in power.

9.4.4. Columnist Necmettin Capa wrote in Afrika on 3.12.2007 the following:

“For the people who participated at the ORP congress, the ORP paid the children 10 YTL, youth 25-30 YTL, adults 50 YTL. It the congress lasts long 50 + meal + transport. How the associations of the persons from Turkey are benefiting from this, no one knows. But they get very high numbers and job opportunities from the state departments are for sure. What is important is that 2000 persons were filled in the Ataturk Sports Hall and they make a show off. It is a scandal. Egemen Bagis, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign relations Secretary of the AKP saw this crowd. It is enough.”

9.4.5. Turkish Cypriot daily Kibrisli newspaper reported in its first page on 3.12.2007 that Mehmet Cakici, the chairman of the Communal Democracy Party (TDP), described as rottenness the situation exist in the Turkish Cypriot community. As he stated either the ideologist or the sold out will win in occupied Cyprus. Mr Cakici referring to the intervention of the AKP in occupied Cyprus stated that a new political opportunist’ elite was created which markets the will of the Turkish Cypriot people. As he stated these circles are putting the country in great danger. Mr Cakici went on and stated that in this period a settling of accounts is taking place in the TRNC between the idealists and the honest and the sold out and the opportunists. As he stated, if the opportunists win, nobody knows what the outcome will be.

9.4.6. Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper reported on 14.12.2007 that the Politics for the People Movement (HIS) of the former Head of the Religious Affairs Department, Mr Ahmet Yonluer, is becoming a party. As the paper wrote, Mr Yonluer is submitting today at the self-styled interior ministry the application and the list of the founding members of the HIS party. The party’s emblem will be a blue evil eye bead (worn to ward off the evil eye).

9.4.7. Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper reported on 18.12.2007 that the newly established Politics for the People (HIS) party introduced itself yesterday at a press conference. The founding chairman of the party, Ahmet Yonluer and other party members participated in the conference. Mr Yonluer said that the clear message they have taken during their contacts with the people was that “people do not trust the politicians any more” and that they were expecting the establishment of a new party. Mr Yonluer reminded that HIS has 63 founding members. He argued that efforts have been exerted recently to perform politics which is only focused on Turkey and both the “government” and the opposition tried to acquire political gains from this. He said that HIS launched its efforts trusting the “TRNC people” and pointed out that the “place for the internal politics is the TRNC”.

Responding to a question, he said that he could not deny his friendly relations with the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and added that he could not neglect these relations because he has established a political party. However, he said that he believes that the internal policy is carried out with the “TRNC people” and interferences from outside should not be allowed. He said that within the next few days they will meet with officials from Turkey, in order to introduce themselves, but they will do this without taking any suggestion from anyone and without expecting any aid. Asked about their targets, Mr Yonluer argued that in spite of the fact that the conditions for carrying out a serious opposition exist in the country, these conditions have not been utilized and added that they will carry out a serious opposition until the elections, they will complete their organizational structure and prepare for the elections and make every preparation for bringing the party into power in the elections.

9.4.8. The ORP has now 5 deputies. Huseyin Avkiran Alanli, who resigned from his party three and half months ago, joined yesterday the ORP. Now the parliament seats are distributed among the parties as follows: CTP: 25, UBP: 13, DP: 6, ORP: 5, TDP: 1 (Kibris, 12.8.2008)

9.4.9. The Our Party (Bizim Parti), which was established as a political party with religious views ten years ago in 1998, merged with the ORP yesterday. The chairman of the Our Party and his friends told that they were happy to support the ORP. (Kibris, 21.11.2008)

10. Recent Figures

10.1. The number of Turkish Cypriots and Turkish settlers in the TRNC

In our previous table of the first edition (1.9.), we gave the figures of the arriving and departing TRNC and TR and other citizens starting from 1974 until 2003. In the table below, we started from 2001 and found out the number of the incoming and outgoing citizens of the TRNC and TR. According to this calculation, at the beginning of 2004, there were 146,255 citizens of the TR and third countries, who remained in the TRNC and 44,252 TRNC citizens remained abroad.

In our news list below, which we prepared according to the data available, it shows the list of passengers arriving at and departing from the TRNC airports and seaports, by year and citizenship:

incoming outgoing difference incoming outgoing difference

TR TR TR T/C T/C T/C

_____________________________________________________________________________

2001 4,924,228 4,833,111 91,117 2,092,729 2,138,112 -45,383

2002 316,193 310,514 5,679 133,317 134,083 766

2003 340,083 321,447 18,636 119,682 119,583 99

2004 434,744 402,578 32,166 134,886 135,343 457

2005 488,023 487,440 583 152,804 152,347 457

2006 572,633 570,533 2,100 175,081 179,915 4,834

2007 598,529 555,193 43,336 184,181 178,906 5,275

2008 650,405 647,435 2,970 200,074 199,713 361

____________________________________________________________________________

8,324,838 8,128,251 +196,587 3,192,754 3,238,002 -45,248

Summary:

At the beginning of 2009, there were 45,248 TRNC citizens who stayed abroad. The number of the TR citizens, who stayed in the TRNC was 196,587 (which include some tourists on holiday, university students studying at the TRNC universities, besides the mainland Turkish settlers and workers)

10.2. Unreliable number of population and of electors

10.2.1. Afrika newspaper wrote in its “Letter from Afrika” column on 9.3.2009 that in the previous elections, the number of electors was about 163,000 and now it is rumoured that the number is about 180,000. The paper asked:

“Well, How many of them are Turkish Cypriots? Do not expect that the Supreme Election Council make any declaration about this subject. Neither the government could do it. This is a delicate matter. According to the information we received this number is 62,500. It means the one third of our total number of electors. The number of the transferred population and electors are increasing and the local population is decreasing. This number will certainly be drawn to lower numbers. What you should understand is AS FOLLOWS: The administration will be determined mainly by those voters who come from the Republic of Turkey. We have to add also that around 47,000 Turkish citizens are waiting to become TRNC citizens right after the elections. They have been already registered by the Turkish Embassy here and they are waiting their turn.”

5.2.2. On the same day, another columnist of Afrika, Turgut Afsaroglu estimated that the number of the electors were 173.000 and only 63.000 of them were Cypriots and the rest were Turkish citizens, i.e. the Turkish Cypriots were in minority and their political will was taken away from their hands.

5.2.3. According to the G/C newspaper Politis, Christophias told that the number of the Turkish settlers increased from 250,000 to 325,000 according to the new information they had. (Kibrisli, 17.6.2010)

11. CONFLICTING NUMBER OF ELECTORS

11.1. The Supreme Election Council (YSK) declared on 13 March 2009 that the number of the electors, which will participate at the elections on 19 April 2009 were 198.006. (Kibrisli, 14.3.2009)

11.2.Turgut Afsaroglu wrote in his weekly column in Afrika on 16.3.2009 under the title “We have to take back our jasmines”:

“In the elections of 1976, our number of electors were 75,824. And our population was 113,736.

In the elections of 1990, the number of our electors became 103,218. The total population was 154,827.

In the elections of 1998, there were 120,758 electors. Our total population increased to 181,137.

In the elections of 2005, the number of the electors was 147,823, whereas the total number of our citizens was 221,735.

It means that in the last 30 years, both our number of electors and the citizens were doubled.

God knows how much will it be in the elections of 19th April?

Let us make an estimate. Will it be 170,000 or 180,000 or 198,000?

And will the Turkish Cypriots be the majority of the minority of them?

Leave the citizens aside. There is also a de-facto population. According to Talat it is 500,000.

According to Serdar 600,000 and according to others it is 700-800,000. And the allegations are such as that after the elections, the Ankara will be pressing, so that at least 45,000 persons more should be made citizens of the TRNC.

Perhaps the population policy of this small country is determined by Ankara and either the UBP or the CTP is in power, they dictate their policies to those who come into power and they bow their necks to this for the sake of their seats....

One has to ask them: “As the 70 million population of Turkey arrive here in flocks, how can you find enough money for the employment, food, housing, school, teacher, doctor, hospital, prison for this population?

If you divide the few hundred million dollars money that Turkey send here every year to each head, it makes less than two dollars a day. And this is not enough, neither for employment, nor for food, hospital, and prison. At this point one has to decide. Is it O.K. up to now or do we go on like this? And until where?”

11.3. On 23 March 2009, Kibris newspaper criticized the TAK news agency when it published on 22 March a new number of electors as 159,906. The editor of Kibris, Resat Akar, asked at the title of his column on that day: “To whom should we believe?”

He wrote: “The YSK announced in its statement yesterday that the number of the citizens in the TRNC are 198,000. According to the State Planning Bureau, the total population was 178,000 according to the census of 2006. This means that in the last three years, our population increased 20.000... If the government during the period of CTP gave only 60 new citizenships, where does this number of 16,680 new citizens come from? It means that there are serious mistakes here.”

11.4. On 30 March 2009, the same Council announced in its declaration No.23 that the final number of electors were 161.373. (Kibris, 31.3.2009)

According to these two declarations, the number of the electors and the number of the Deputies who would be elected by each district would be as follows:

13 March 2009 30 March 2009

Nicosia 62,227 16 50,653

Famagusta 52,795 13 42,325

Kyrenia 35,990 9 30,428

Morphou 25,383 6 21,017

Trikomo (İskele) 21,611 6 16,950

__________________________________________________________

198,006 50 161,373

11.5. There were 71 Turkish citizens among the 350 candidates:

7 parties with 350 candidates participated at the early general elections, held on 19 April 2009. Among the candidates 71 were Turkish citizens also. They were mainly represented in the parties of HİS and ORP.

Out of 50 candidates of the HIS, 23 were Turkish citizens. In the list of ORP, 17 were Turkish citizens. DP came in the third row with 13 candidates. The UBP had 7, TDP had 6, CTP-BG had 3 and BKP-Jasmine Movement had 2 candidates with Turkish citizenship. (Afrika, 23.3.2009)

12. MEDDLING OF THE AKP TO THE 2009 GENERAL ELECTION IN THE TRNC

12.1. “Meddling of Turkey with full support to the elections in the TRNC!” was the title of the column by Kartal Harman in Kibrisli on 10.3.2009.

He wrote that Denktas did not get directives from the AKP and he used to get support from another place in Ankara. Later the relationship between AKP and Denktas got worse and the party of Denktas’ son, DP was kept out of power with the formation of the ORP as an alternative to the DP. At that point, the meddling to the internal affairs of the TRNC was at its peak. Almost all the high ranking ORP Deputies participated at the ORP congress and the message was clear and net: The AKP is near the ORP!

During the congress of the DP last Sunday, another leader of a Turkish party, Vice-Chairperson of the Democratic left Party (DSP) Melda Bayer participated at the DP Congress... What they do is nothing than influencing the electors from Turkey (in the TRNC).

As you can see from this, the fate of the elections will not be determined by the Turkish Cypriots, but by the TRNC citizens, originating from the Republic of Turkey, who came to the island and settled here at one time or another. One should give attention to the following point! It was only yesterday that some persons did not know where Nicosia is and even they were asking us “Which language do you speak here?”. Nowadays they were given citizenship very easily and they were made as the people, who determine the political will of the TRNC.”

12.2. Kibris newspaper wrote on 24 March 2009 that the Chairman of the HIS party, Ahmet Yonluer reacted to the fact that the Turkish Cypriot political parties did not put in their electoral lists of the candidates who came to Cyprus after 1974 and he asked where is their sincerity. He continued:

“In the UBP list, only 7 candidates are persons who came after 1974. Moreover 3 of them cannot get elected because of their placing. Is this your understanding of equality?

Indeed, I do not get angry with the CTP, TDP and BKP, because they say sincerely in every platform that they do not want these people. But if you, like UBP, say that you do not make discrimination and you make fun of those people by making such lists, then we tell those people your real face. “

12.3. Under the title “Izcan: We do not accept the current regime”, Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper reported on 27.3.2009 that a delegation from the United Cyprus Party (BKP) – Jasmine Movement visited yesterday Basaran Duzgun, the paper’s editor-in-chief. Mr Izcan said that nothing in the occupied areas will be put in order unless the population policy is taken under control. Mr Izan noted that they will annul the “citizenship” of all the persons who acquired this “citizenship” in a manner contrary to the international law. “This is not racism”, he added, “what we are trying to do is to put an end to the population policy which annihilates the Turkish Cypriots and make the Turkish Cypriots to have a say”.

Mr Izcan noted that the occupied northern part of Cyprus is administered by the “high coordination council”, the “embassy” of Turkey and “Turkey’s Aid Delegation”. He noted that in case the power is not transferred to the Turkish Cypriots the “governments” will be nothing more than puppets and the Turkish Cypriots, who cannot plan their economy, education, population and future, will be annihilated.

12.4. Afrika newspaper, under the title “AKP is touting for votes for Avci”, reported on 30.3.2009 that officials of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) are currently in the TRNC and try to convince those from “the Turkish Republic” who live in the occupied areas to vote for the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP). The AKP experts believe that Avci’s party can elect up to ten deputies with the votes of those from the Turkish Republic. They are trying to reduce the power of the National Unity Party (UBP) and increase the votes of the ORP, notes AFRIKA paper arguing that a coalition government between UBP and ORP will be established after the elections.

12. 5. Yeni Duzen newspaper published on 30.3.2009 an interview by the veteran Turkish Cypriot politician Mustafa Akinci, who bids farewell to politics, with journalist Cagil Gunalp. Akinci pointed out that it would be naive to even consider that the deep state of Turkey is independent from the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus.

He noted that until the developments of 2003, the Turkish governments, the military civil bureaucracy and the deep state had always been next to former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas and the National Unity Party (UBP).

Mr Akinci said that the investigation in Turkey regarding the Ergenekon case will be incomplete if they don’t investigate all the unsolved crimes that occurred in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, like the murder of Kutlu Adali, the bombs at the houses of two prime ministers (Eroglu-Talat), the bombs at Afrika and Kibris papers, the bombs at the cars of Durduran and Ali Osman as well as the attempt to burn the building of the Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH).

12.6. “IT IS A HUMILIATION FOR US TO INTERVENE TO THE ELECTIONS FROM ABROAD” This was the title of a letter, written by Ratip Gulmez from Kyrenia, published in Kibris’ in the “The word is yours” column, on 29.3.2009. The writer of the letter gave some examples of meddling in favour of the CTP during the election campaign:

“First some names, who captured their columns in the Star, Sabah and Radikal newspapers of Turkey, explored suddenly some relationship between “Ergenekon” and Cyprus. They did not remain only with this, they also serviced their findings for the usage by their comrades in the TRNC and by the Ergenekon craftsmen in Turkey... One of them came with another name from the same group to the TRNC and taught us what the “Ergenekon” is and they returned...

Later we saw that Olli Rehn came here all of a sudden. Without any reservation and losing any time, he declared “Let’s hope that the pro-solution parties will win” and he went back. With him we saw that there was a EU dimension of the meddling to the elections.

Right after Rehn, German parliamentarian Jurgen Walter landed out territory and without being ashamed he said “if the previous people come to power, the negotiations will come to an end.”

Mrs.Rothe was the other European parliamentarian who arrived here and she was the most clear one and unaware of the public opinion. She participated directly at a festival of the CTP and openly hinted us the “CTP” and she also went back.

How could such a situation can be experienced in a European country? What took my attention was that these people who meddle from outside were asking for support only in the name of those in the government, but not for the benefit of the parties which are in the opposition. I was wondering why?...”

17.6. It was reported in the “Letter from Afrika” column, published on 30.3.2009:

“As if they hear it for the first time that Ankara meddles. We have said it yesterday in our main title. The heavy canons of the AKP arrived here, they are among us They are visiting every village and neighbourhood and collecting votes for Turgay Avci. The other day they were in Degirmenlik (Kythrea) region and yesterday they were in Guzelyurt (Morphou). If someone has a doubt, s/he has to go and look with her/his own eyes.”

None of our parties has raised its voice to the meddling of the AKP to our elections. They fish in the sweet waters. But when they will be caught on the hook, they will be surprised.”

18. INTERVENTION BY LOCAL MEDIA PATRONS

18.1. Yeni Volkan newspaper (28.03.09) reports that Asil Nadir, owner of Kibris Media Group, has sent Resat Akar, whom he appointed as director of his Media Group, to compulsory leave until the end of the “elections”. Under the title “Asil has been surrendered to the green fascism”, the paper alleges that Asil Nadir has succumbed to the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), which cornered and blackmailed him because he has not paid his tax liabilities. The paper reminds that Mr Akar was appointed to his post two and a half months ago and adds that he was given three weeks compulsory leave.

18.2. “Ahmet Uzun of the CTP, Ersin Tatar of the UBP, Bengu Sonya of the DP and Rasit Pertev of the TDP were the four persons, invited to the KANAL T programme, presented by Dilek Kirci. When they entered the studio, Uzun wanted that Pertev would be sent out of the studio. He asked for the police to come. Pertev was given a short time to talk at the beginning of the programme and later he was sent away. The Patron of the KANAL T was also in the studio and he remained only silent to this scandal.” (Afrika newspaper, Letter from Afrika, 31.3.2009)

18.3. “NOW THEY WANT THE KANAL-T TO BE SILENT”

“The Chairman of the TDP (Communal Democracy Party), Mehmet Cakici, answered the questions of the Volkan correspondent as follows:

“The CTP-ORP coalition government “feeds” on one side the media, which support the government and on the other side tries to silence the persons and organizations, who do not think like themselves by oppression and threats. He gave the example of Kibris newspaper, where Asil Nadir, the owner of the KIBRIS Media Group, was forced to send the editor of his daily newspaper to holiday during the election campaign. Now Ersin Tatar, the owner of the KANAL T, is under attack by the pro-government columnists and his employees were given false promises so that they leave the TV station. (Volkan, 31 March 2009)

18.4. MEDDLING OF THE TURKISH POLITICIANS

18.4.1. According to the information we received, the preparations have started in the Karpasia region. As we were talking to some old leaders of the local UBP organizations, they told us the following:

“We have seen very well how the meddling was in the previous elections. Even the most reliable persons that we know could say “What the green plate (the colour of the diplomatic car plate of the Turkish Embassy in the TRNC) says, that will happen.” After the public opinion polls were made, everything can change in the last three days. He gave us examples.

Eroglu is an old wolf (politician). He knows his work very well. As far as we can see, he took the delivery of the media and many businessmen. If he goes like this, he can get in power all alone, but he will not.... The AKP did not help the formation of the ORP for nothing, only for 2,5 years. Now the turn will for ORP. They will say “stop” to the UBP and “pass” to the ORP. They will secure that the ORP get enough votes over the limit, so that they can have 4-5 Deputies. Don’t tell that it is not possible. They do such things in the last 3 days. Do not forget the elections in 2003 when the balance was 25+25.” (Harun Denizkan, Havadis, 8 April 2009)

18.4.2. TURKISH POLITICIANS SENDING THEIR ELECTION BUSES

“AKP sent its election bus to the ORP. The bus with the plate number 34 FFG 01 came finally yesterday and started to take part in the election activities. This luxurious bus is known as the election bus of Kadir Toptas, the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor... On the other hand, the bus of the UBP was sent by Mustafa Sarigul, Istanbul Sisli Mayor, who is a “very close” friend of Eroglu. Sarigul had previously sent his advertisers to the UBP.” (Yeni Duzen, 9.4.2009)

18.4.3. Afrika newspaper, under the title “Let those who look for a meddling see. Give up Ergenekon, look at the AKP’s bus!...” and with a picture of the election bus of the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reported on 10.4.2009 that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which openly in favour of CTP in the elections of 2003 and 2005, has not hesitated to do it again in these elections. AKP has sent the election bus to Turgay Avci to conquer the TRNC. In its column “Letter from AFRIKA”, the paper wrote the following:
“The bus was sent to the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), because only Turgay Avci demanded it from Ankara. If UBP, CTP and DP wanted, would Erdogan have sent them one? So what? Is ORP Ankara’s own party and the rest the foster parties? (...) Ankara will in our elections in every period. It is doing it today, it will do it tomorrow. Because TRNC is not an independent state... It is under Turkey’s administration.”

18.5. Ergenekon connections in the TRNC: The following information was included in the second indictment in the Ergenekon trial in Istanbul:

“In the 1998 elections in the TRNC, one million dollars were sent to the island in one evening. Two days before the elections, 17 million 500 million Turkish Liras were distributed by hand to the electors. A total of 20 million dollars were distributed. This operation in the TRNC covers solely the deep interest of Turkey. There is an agreement of opinion in the Upper Council. Mr.Eroglu has the characteristics that are sought for after Denktas. Our friends came to us with the thesis that we should not trust names other than Eroglu. The system of the Turkish Cypriot people has been cooked and they will eat it… The most important is the investment in the ART-TV station and this can serve the aims of the “Directorate of the Civil Department”. (Yeni Duzen, 8 April 2009)

18.5.1. Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper (10.04.09) published the following: “Ferdi Sabit Soyer, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), who filed a request with the KKTC Chief Prosecutor's Office demanding an investigation into allegations against a former president and a former prime minister of the KKTC, has said as there have been revelations that a secret organization existed to influence the free will of Turkish Cypriots, his "silence would be equal to murder" with reference to the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine terrorist organization charged with plotting to overthrow the Turkish government.

Soyer filed the request on Wednesday, demanding an investigation into allegations against former KKTC President Rauf Denktas and former Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, leader of the main opposition National Unity Party (UBP), whose names are mentioned in the second indictment in the Ergenekon trial submitted last month to the court hearing the case. He said that he had experienced a creeping sensation when he read documents seized at the home of Mustafa Ozbek, the jailed chairman of workers' union Turk Metal. According to the documents, the terrorist organization established two main centres, in the KKTC and Ankara, to wiretap conversations, including those of politicians and businessmen. Ozbek was arrested in late January as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation.

Soyer said the documents show Denktas’ phone calls were wiretapped to have him eliminated and there were great efforts to have the UBP elected as the winning party with Eroglu as the president. Soyer told that about 18 million dollars were sent by Ozbek to this effect.

“It is an organization that wiretapped the telephones of Mehmet Ali Talat, who later became the prime minister. They also tried to eliminate Talat. Nobody should forget that a bomb exploded in Talat’s home during the same period. Now that I have learned all this, my silence would be equal to murder. I acted upon concrete information with a desire to uncover past secrets,” said Soyer, as quoted by the Anatolia news agency.

Eroglu said that he is the one who should file charges. “We don’t take them seriously. As the Republican Turks Party loses voters, they do not know what to do. They even bring up allegations without knowing what they contain. The UBP is not involved in such a scheme,” he said. He added that he is consulting his lawyers about the issue: “I am the one who should file for a lawsuit. My rights are reserved in that regard.”

18.5.2. Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (10.04.09), in its front page under the title “Shock confession!”, reported that the former Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktas, during the television programme “Last Situation” broadcast by the Turkish Cypriot local television channel KIBRIS TV, said that he was receiving dead threat from CIA during the “elections” of 1981 and added:
“At that period, I was deemed as a hawk on the Cyprus issue. Clerides the peaceful one and I were displayed as the intransigent. Because we do not accept their sayings about the Turkish Cypriot government being a blood stained administration I was asked to be eliminated. Has the meddling of the foreigners disappeared today? Are not the remarks of the British High Commissioner and the U.S Ambassador a meddling? Or the fact that USA has distributed 30 million dollars? Let us not forget these. Those who do not call these meddling are standing up and shouting that Turkey is meddling. When I looked at this report, even the Turkish of the writers was not correct. When such information on certain issues taking place inside Cyprus was coming, I informed the competent officials when I realized that it was serious. And when a death threatening letter was sent by a CIA agent I informed Turkey and Turkey stood behind us.”

18.5.3. Viewing Turkish Cypriot politician Sabit Soyer's demand for an investigation against Rauf Denktas and Dervis Eroglu within the framework of the Ergenekon investigation in an article in Hurriyet Daily News (10.04.09), Yusuf Kanli questioned whether Soyer was plotting to avert a humiliating defeat in the 19 April elections.

18.5.4. Under the headline, "Frightening claims regarding Ergenekon's Cyprus operations," Zaman (10.04.09) published a report which asserts that the Ergenekon network is being accused of staging an assassination attempt against former Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat before the referendum on the island in 2004, maintaining explosives caches on the Turkish part of the island, killing certain Turkish Cypriot journalists, and trying to influence the results of Turkish Cypriot elections.

18.5.5. Under the headline, "Chief Public Prosecutor being threatened," the Zaman daily newspaper carried on 11.4.2009 a report which quoted TRNC Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer as saying that the office of the chief public prosecutor in North Cyprus is receiving threats over a recently filed formal request for an investigation into allegations of complicity between the Ergenekon network and former Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas and former Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu.

18.5.6. In Hurriyet (12.04.09), columnist Ferai Tinc wrote in her article that many circles in north Cyprus believe that daily Havadis publishing new Ergenekon documents was a move by the Turkish Government to 'intervene' in the elections to be held in the TRNC on 19 April. However, she noted, a general consensus exists between all the political parties on the steps to be taken to resolve the Ergenekon mystery. Arguing that possible change of political balances after the elections in the TRNC might obstruct the Ergenekon investigation on the island, Tinc quoted unnamed Turkish Cypriot journalists as saying that "Ergenekon has become an influential organization in north Cyprus. Turkey will be unable to unearth the Ergenekon network's activities if it fails to investigate the organization's links on the island."

18.5.7. A column by Oral Calislar in Radikal (12.04.09) argued that the Ergenekon files that have been placed on the agenda one week before the elections seem to have changed the atmosphere in north Cyprus. According to the Turkish Cypriot media, he said, public opinion polls showing a significant increase in the National Unity Party [UBP] votes led the ruling Republican Turkish Party [CTP] to take action to prevent the transfer of power to the UBP. Claiming that the "peace and reunification talks" talks between Turkish Cypriot leader Talat and President Christofias might be suspended if the UBP wins the elections, Calislar warned that a possible UBP victory in TRNC is likely to affect the Turkey-EU relations negatively. He goes on to note that both the election in the Turkish Cypriot sector and the Ergenekon investigation in the north have the potential to dominate Turkey's political agenda soon.

18.5.8. “They do not say anything, when the God of Meddling is here” was the title of the “letter from Afrika column on 13.4.2009. The columnist wrote as follows:

“We entered the last week before the elections. That is the most critical week. There is also the last critical 24 hours of this critical week. According to many people, what happens, happens at this last night. The last blessings were distributed and the poll was closed at that night...

Last week there was a discussion that there was an meddling from outside in the elections of 1988. Who made this? The Ergenekon. The pro-CTP media used this fodder in abundance given by Ferdi Sabit Soyer. They made headlines. They gave supplements in support of this news. In reality, this was the lt branch, which was grasped by the CTP against the UBP. But it did not work. The branch was broken. The citizens did not take care of it... The Ankara governments have been intervening to our elections since 1976. Don’t they? It is not sincere to show that only in 1998 there was meddling...If you talk of meddlings, you have to look around yourselves. What will you see? Now AKP Deputies and election experts are taking part in the election campaign of a party and they visit every village. Why don‘t you say a word to this? Look, Veysi Kaynak, AKP MP from Kahramanmaras is among us. On Thursday, the Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator,Egemen Bagis will also arrive. For sure he will be coming with the last “blessings”. He is the God of the meddlings. You are still talking of 1998? Why don’t you see the log in your eye?”

18.5.9. Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (15.04.09) reported that Turgut Oker, chairman of the European Alevite Unions’ Federation visited yesterday the premises of Kibris and stated that the Alevites in the TRNC should have the right not only to vote, but to be elected as well. Mr Oker was accompanied by Ozdemir Gul, candidate in the forthcoming elections with the Republican Turkish Party – New Forces (CTP-BG) in Nicosia and chairman of the Association for Researching and Promoting the Haci Bektas-i Veli Culture i.e.The Association of the Alevites in the TRNC.

Mr Oker said, inter alia, the following: “The fact that Ozdemir Gul is candidate in the elections as our chairman in Cyprus is very suitable to our basic targets. From now on, as Alevites we should not only vote, but we should be elected as well. In Europe we have many friends who are MPs and we support them. It is not our fate to remain always in the back. Our people have become experts in many fields. The Alevites too should have a say in politics now.

18.5.10. Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (16.04.09), under the title “100 thousand voters ´From Turkey´”, published an extensive reportage about the elections, which will be held in the TRNC next Sunday. The paper reported, inter alia, that in the general elections, which are the 10th after 1974, only 61 thousand of the voters are Turkish Cypriots. The rest 100 thousand voters are Turkish settlers who came in the occupied areas after 1974. As the paper wrote, looking it from this point of view, many Turkish Cypriots say that “it is the migrants from Turkey that will determine the elections”.

18.5.11. Turkish daily Milliyet newspaper published on 16.4.2009 a report by its correspondent in Nicosia, Sefa Karahasan under the title, “‘Election bribe’ quarrel in the TRNC”. Sefa Karahasan reported, inter alia, that the Vice chairman of the Executive Board of Vakiflar Bankasi, Mr Ahmet Keskin, speaking in a press conference, accused the CTP of granting credits to five hundred people in exchange of votes, three days before the elections.

19. RESULTS OF THE EARLY GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 19 APRIL 2009

Total number of electors: 161,373

Total number of valid votes: 131,178

Percentage of participation: 81.29

Name of the Party Percentage (in 2005) No. of Deputies (in 2005)

UBP 44,04 (31.71) 26 (18)

CTP-BG 29,26 (44.45) 15 (25)

DP 10,65 (13.49) 5 (6)

TDP 6,87 (as TKP 2.41) 2 (-)

ORP 6,21 (-) 2

BKP-Jasmine Movement 2,42 (-) 0

HİS 0,49 (-) 0

19.1. 36% of the Deputies (18 new faces) were elected for the first time. There are now 17 doctors in the parliament, one less than the previous period. Out of 345 candidates of the 7 parties, 55 were women candidates. Only 4 of them could be elected: 2 from the UBP and 2 from the CTP-BG.

19.2. BUYING VOTES

19.2.1. The first President of the TRNC Rauf Denktas talked after the election victory of the UBP and told that “the electors were bought .” The percentage of the voters were 60% during the day, but afterwards, it jumped suddenly up to 80%. Unfortunately those who got their money, ran to the polls.” (Havadis, 20.4.1009)

19.2.2. “Old habits were experienced again during the elections, which are a kind of examination for the democracy. One day before the elections, the political parties were in a competition of distributing money mainly in Nicosia within the walls, in the suburbs of Nicosia and the surrounding villages and in Karpasia. We have received numerous messages of notification especially in the late hours of Saturday...

A businessman told that he has 1,000 identity cards in his bag and he asked for one milliard for each person. He was visiting the party buildings, saying “he, who pays one trillion, gets 1,000 votes”. This bargaining was the clearest indicator of the dark side of the election. (Levent Ozadam, Havadis, 20.4.2009)

19.2.3. “The DP Chairman Serdar Denktas, who gave a statement recently to Halkin Sesi newspaper to this effect, applied to the Parliament for the investigation of the allegations that votes were bought. He said that there are rumours of “buying votes and also a discussion about “a bourse of the elected”. The system should be examined by the Parliament, which has a great responsibility. “ (Havadis, 22.5.2009)

19.2.4. Serdar Denktas talked on the Sim Radio and said that his party had also bought votes like every other party during the election period. There are people, who come to you and bargain for each voter, asking 100, 200 or 300 Turkish Liras. If there is no party, which does not do this, it has to come forward and say, but every political party has bought votes.” (Yeni Duzen, 23.4.2009)

19.2.5. The Supreme Election Council (YSK) stated that it was not possible to go further in order to investigate the allegations that votes were sold or bought during the elections.”

Mr.Serdar Denktas changed his statement in front of the police interrogater and said that he did not remember the names of the persons, who wanted to sell votes. He also did not give any written statement and there were no enough available evidence on the subject. ” (Kibris, 16 and 22.5.2009)

19.3. WHY THE CTP LOST?

19.3.1. A Sociologist and the director of the KADEM, Muharrem Faiz, told that the fundamental reason why the UBP became the first party with a percentage of 44.02 was that the previous government made very extreme promises and did not fulfil them. According to a research done, many citizens who were members of the CTP gave their votes for the UBP just out of revenge. Faiz continued: “This has nothing to do with the attractive sides of the UBP. The practices of the CTP government such as the high price for the electricity, the heavy taxes, increased unemployment and no anticipated progress in the Cyprus problem were the reasons that the UBP made a difference to the other parties, he said. The people were thinking completely of the internal situation and the Cyprus problem was in the second or third place.” (Halkin Sesi, 21.4.2009)“

19.3.2. Under the title “Cemil Cicek and the sensitive adjustment”, the Letter from Afrika column of Afrika newspaper of 23.4.2009 wrote that the last visit of Cemil Cicek from Turkey was hidden from the eyes. He made the last sensitive adjustment as all the eyes were concentrated on the ORP. As the nation was waiting to see if an election bus will come or not, he struck the fatal blow to the CTP.

According to the allegations, Cemil Cicek asked Ferdi openly, if they are going to tighten the belts. He asked later, if they will be implementing or not implementing the package Turkey sent. Ferdi was uttering some words, then Cemil Cicek got angry: “You have not even withdraw the mobile scale for the salaries!” ... When Ferdi slowed down the implementation of his promises, Ankara sent the first warning. From that point on, the December salaries could be paid with delay only in January. After that moment, Ferdi had to inform Ankara that they will go on the early elections on 19th April. Then Ankara’s sensitive adjustment started...Ankara sent a life buoy to the ORP and took the two Deputies from UBP and gave them to the ORP, one from Karpasia, the other one from Famagusta were given as a present to Turgay Avci...”

19.3.3. Expences of the political parties in the last elections are being calculated...CTP had the highest expenditure with 1,778,600 TL. The TDP spent something like 220,000 TL and the UBP around 800,000 TL. It is estimated that the DP spent 400,000 TL in the general election campaign. (Kibris, 4.6.2009)

20. CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ON 19 APRIL 2010

20.1. Mechtild Rothe, ex-MP and ex-vice-President of the European Parliament,

gave a conference in Gonyeli under the title “The benefits of a solution for the Turkish Cypriots”. She said that after Mehmet Ali Talat came into power, the negotiations have a strengthened basis. (Kibris, 6.3.2010)

20.2. The US Foreign Minister, Hillary Clinton, invited TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat to the USA. Talat is undecided.” (Kibris, 8.3.2010)

20.3. President Mehmet Ali Talat returned to the TRNC after completing his contacts in Ankara. Talat said that he will not be going to the USA, because the way the invitation was made, disturbed him and he did not want to stay away from the TRNC 3-4 days, therefore we will not be going to the USA. (Kibris, 11.3.2010)

20.4. Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu talked in a conference in Aydin University, Turkey and said that the American invitation to Talat is an meddling to the presidential elections in favour of Talat.” (Halkin Sesi, 11.3.2010)

20.5. Under the title “Now the turn is for Tahsin Ertugruloglu!”, the columnist Kartal Harman wrote among others the following:

“Although Eroglu gives statements to the effect that he does not have any problem with the AKP, it is well-known that the AKP do not want Eroglu. Turkey has always intervened into all of the elections in either this way or in another and managed to bring out a government to her like, she gives more importance to the presidential elections than the general elections and she is supporting one side... If a party comes into power and at the moment that this party does not do as Turkey says, the fountain of money is closed and a government crisis is being created immediately in the country... In my opinion, it is not possible that Eroglu can be elected as President. If you look at the scenarios and listen to what Eroglu repeats every now and then like a faulty record, the direction we go is that one. Eroglu says that “we are not in a position to get away from the negotiation table” and he does not say anything else... Therefore, Tahsin Ertugruloglu was called to Ankara and he was told to be a candidate in the presidential elections. The aim is not to give Eroglu a chance to win the Presidential elections.” (Kartal Harman, Kibrisli, 11.3.2010)

20.6. President Mehmet Ali Talat came yesterday to the Supreme Electoral Council and made his application for candidacy. He told to the reporters that he, himself, did not see Ankara intervening to the elections. The doors of Ankara are open for everyone. He said: “I have not seen such an meddling since 2004 that I am in this post. Therefore I do not see these allegations as true.” (Volkan, 13.3.2010)

20.7. Ferdi Sabit Soyer, the chairman of the CTP met yesterday at the CTP Headquarters in Nicosia with the AKEL Secretary-General Andros Kiprianu. Kiprianu told that the two parties support Christophias and Talat so that the initiative they undertook will lead to a success.” (Volkan, 13.3.2010)

20.8. The Chairman of the TRNC Settlers’ Association, Gonul Uygun, criticized Enver Dincoglu, Chairman of the Settlers’ Aid and Solidarity Association, who decided to support Mehmet Ali talat in the coming presidential elections. Dincoglu told that they are a nationalist association and they will not be the extension of a political party or the backyard of any political party. (Kibris, 14.3.2010)

20.9. Greek Cypriot weekly newspaper Kathimerini reported that Adviser of the US Foreign Ministry, Philip Gordon asked George Papandreou during his visit to the USA last week to use his authority on President Christophias to support Mehmet Ali Talat for a common declaration about the intensive negotiations on Cyprus problem, which could be very helpful for him during the election campaign. According to the daily Phileleftheros, Papandreou told President Obama that there exists no relationship of dependency between Athens and Nicosia, whereas there is such a dependency between the occupation regime and Ankara. So Obama has to turn to Turkey. (Volkan, 15.3.2010)

20.10. Independent candidate, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, who broke away with the UBP, told that he met during his stay in Ankara with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and State Minister Cemil Cicek. He shared his view about his candidacy. I did not get any promise from them. But also they did not tell me not to do such a thing.” (Havadis, 20.3.2010)

20.11. The Chairman of the ORP, Turgay Avci told that his party decided to support Mehmet Ali Talat, since the ORP likes his vision of solution. Avci said: “I have talked with Turkish officials. They asked me to support Mehmet Ali Talat. At this moment, it is not possible that we decide otherwise. Our party has a debt of 380,000 euros in party’s name. If we do not act together, everyone will have problems with the courts. (Volkan, 25. and 27.3.2010)

20.12. Independent candidate for the presidential elections Mehmet Ali Talat told during a visit to the industrial area in Famagusta that in the last six years, it has been a golden age of the TRNC and they made severe progress with a policy in cooperation with Turkey.” (Afrika, 27.3.2010)

20.13. The candidate of the UBP for the presidential elections, Dervis Eroglu, told the Anatolian news agency that he only could laugh at the allegations of Talat that he does not know the Cyprus question. Eroglu said that he has been in the politics since 1976 and he has read all the proceedings of the previous negotiations and he has been always in close dialog with Turkey. Eroglu also said that the chairman of the ORP, Turgay Avci wanted to have a coalition government with the UBP on the condition that the debt of 350,000 TL of the party should be paid by the UBP. Eroglu continued: “Avci told the ORP Council that he received a directive from Ankara to support Talat and later this decision was announced to the press. It is wrong to exploit the name of the fatherland with lies.” (Kibris, 28.3.2010)

20.14.The Supreme Electoral Council announced yesterday the total number of the electors as 164,072. The distribution is as follows:

Nicosia 51,381

Famagusta 43,004

Kyrenia 31,233

Morphou 21,214

Trikomo 17,240

(Kibris, 30.3.2010)

20.15. The Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bagis told the Anatolian news agency that whoever will be elected to the Presidency of the TRNC on 18 April, Turkey will do whatever she can for the continuation of the negotiation process within the UN parameters. Turkey will continue to be one step forwards in the words of our Prime Minister.” (Halkin Sesi, 2.4.2010)

20.16. The columnist of Halkin Sesi, Hasan Kahvecioglu, asked Mehmet Ali Talat “Are you going to get support from the citizens of the Turkish Republic in the TRNC?” Talat answered: “Of course I shall get. Why not? If you make a comparison of the advantages of a solution, the voters with a Turkish origin will have more benefits of the solution than the Turkish Cypriots.” (Halkin Sesi, 2 April 2010)

20.17. The Chairman of the DP, Serdar Denktas, told that his party DP decided to support Eroglu actively and unconditionally. Denktas said: “During our meetings with Eroglu, we did not make any preliminary dealing. We just wanted to tell the world that our will for solution protects our state and our sovereignty. (Kibrisli, 2.4.2010)

20.18. The columnist Levent Ozadam, writing in Havadis on 5.4.2010, stated under the title “The result of the election will be determined by the electors with TR origin.” Ozadam wrote:

“First the UBP, then the DP, much later the CTP explored them. The settlers from TR were successful to bring a party they supported into power and a person they supported to the Presidency. And they will have again a big share in the Presidential Elections to be held on 18 April and the candidate who will win their heart will sit to that post.

At this moment, the candidates work mainly in their regions. There is a big interest in the crowded masses, who are of Turkish origin. Because a word, which comes from the mouth of an agha or a family head, is very important. And one person can easily influence hundreds of them and the votes go, not scattered, but in bulks, to the polls.

Maybe those of Cypriot origin are angry at this situation, they complain as if Cypriotism is fading away, but now they are not anymore foreigners, they are the persons, who determine the real will in this country, either they want or not!

Since the politicians know this very well, they concentrate in the rural areas and try to attract them with thousand and one promises to themselves.”

20.19. US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton phoned yesterday the President Mehmet Ali Talat and congratulated him for the progress in the intercommunal talks. Clinton also invited Talat to come to Washington after the presidential elections in order to see how the USA can contribute to the talks. (Yeni Duzen, 7.4.2010)

20.20. Turkish daily Today’s Zaman newspaper published on 10.4.2009 the following on the issue:
“Ferdi Sabit Soyer, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), who filed a request with the KKTC Chief Prosecutor's Office demanding an investigation into allegations against a former president and a former prime minister of the KKTC, has said as there have been revelations that a secret organization existed to influence the free will of Turkish Cypriots, his "silence would be equal to murder" with reference to the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine terrorist organization charged with plotting to overthrow the Turkish government.

Soyer filed the request on Wednesday, demanding an investigation into allegations against former KKTC President Rauf Denktas and former Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, leader of the main opposition National Unity Party (UBP), whose names are mentioned in the second indictment in the Ergenekon trial submitted last month to the court hearing the case. He said that he had experienced a creeping sensation when he read documents seized at the home of Mustafa Ozbek, the jailed chairman of workers' union Turk Metal. According to the documents, the terrorist organization established two main centres, in the KKTC and Ankara, to wiretap conversations, including those of politicians and businessmen. Ozbek was arrested in late January as part of the ongoing Ergenekon investigation.

Soyer said the documents show Denktas’ phone calls were wiretapped to have him eliminated and there were great efforts to have the UBP elected as the winning party with Eroglu as the president.

“It is an organization that wiretapped the telephones of Mehmet Ali Talat, who later became the prime minister. They also tried to eliminate Talat. Nobody should forget that a bomb exploded in Talat’s home during the same period. Now that I have learned all this, my silence would be equal to murder. I acted upon concrete information with a desire to uncover past secrets,” said Soyer, as quoted by the Anatolia news agency.

Soyer, also head of the centre-left Republican Turks Party (CTP), had accused the Ergenekon gang before of blocking the peace process in Cyprus. He had said in March that the KKTC was facing an obstacle in the path toward peace and the name of this obstacle was “Ergenekon.” He promised that the KKTC would continue to seek a solution for the divided island, no matter what obstacles it faces.

Meanwhile, former President Denktas held a press conference yesterday afternoon, reiterating an earlier statement that he was not a perpetrator, but rather a victim of the plots mentioned in the second Ergenekon indictment. Speaking to journalists at his office in Nicosia yesterday, Denktas claimed that Soyer was going to “correct” the KKTC Prime Ministry’s official statement on the complaint filed on Wednesday. Denktas also said the complaint, filed shortly before upcoming elections on the island, had a purpose; he claimed there was an attempt to make him appear as having links to Ergenekon. He said Soyer’s complaint filed at the KKTC Chief Prosecutor’s Office had been misrepresented, conveying the wrong meaning -- that he is also being accused. He said he talked to Soyer on the phone Thursday morning, adding that Soyer had accepted the mistake and promised to issue a statement to clarify Denktas’ position in the case.

President Talat said Turkish prosecutors should submit their demands to the KKTC in order to achieve Turkey-KKTC coordination of the investigation into Ergenekon.

“Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer has called on prosecutors to do their duty. We are legally connected with the Turkish prosecutors. If there is bilateral will, both sides should work together. Turkish Cypriot prosecutors could open a case but if there is not enough support from Turkey, I don’t know how well this process would progress,” Talat said, as quoted by AdaTV.

Talat was asked if Turkey had requested such support into the Ergenekon investigation; he said there had been no such demand as yet but that Turkish Cypriot prosecutors would be ready to help if asked.

Eroglu said that he is the one who should file charges. “We don’t take them seriously. As the Republican Turks Party loses voters, they do not know what to do. They even bring up allegations without knowing what they contain. The UBP is not involved in such a scheme,” he said. He added that he is consulting his lawyers about the issue: “I am the one who should file for a lawsuit. My rights are reserved in that regard.”

Meanwhile, Denktas said the petition Soyer filed was not for an investigation into him, but into a past Ergenekon-related attempt to overthrow him. A statement released yesterday by the Turkish Cypriot administration’s press office said: “There has been an ongoing investigation dubbed ‘Ergenekon’ in Turkey. As is well known, there has been an indictment prepared against the suspects as a result of this investigation under the Code on Criminal Procedure [CMK] of the Republic of Turkey. Excerpts from this indictment have also been printed in our domestic press, including allegations against UBP Chairman Dr. Dervis Eroglu and former President Rauf Denktas. Since these allegations are grave ones and since the public good calls for action, it is inevitable that an additional investigation also be launched under KKTC legislation.” When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was asked about the recent debate over some KKTC leaders’ involvement in Ergenekon, he said: “If there is anything in the legal process that is connected to Cyprus, then the judiciary would take necessary steps. Our desire is for an illumination of the whole issue. Nothing should remain in the dark.”

20.21. The columnist of Afrika, Turgut Afsaroglu wrote under the title “Ankara wants whom?” the following on 12.4.2010”:

“It has been announced that our number of electors are more than 164,000 now. I wonder how many of them are Cypriot and how many Turkish? Is there anyone who knows it? In the 1976 elections the number of our electors was about 76,000. Have our fertility gone up, or what? In a country where the fertility rate is 5 in per thousand, normally we could catch this number in 200 years, but we reached at it in 34 years. Let God have more... Don’t have an eye on that.

***

Denktas did not say this in vain in 2000 elections: “In the TRNC, the person whom Turkey wants is elected as President. In the 2005 elections, Turkey wanted Talat, that’s why he was elected. Since Turkey did not want Denktas, he could not be even a candidate. Well... In the 2010 elections, whom does Turkey, better to say Ankara, much better to say Recep Tayyip Erdogan want to be elected? First time in these elections, it is not known whom Turkey wants to get elected.

***

Talat says: “I am in the Ankara’s heart.” Eroglu says:”Ankara did not tell me not to be a candidate.” Ertugruloglu says: “I put my candidacy since Abdullah Gul told me to do so.”

***

(.....)

We know... Ankara can influence at least 100,000 of the 164,000 electors. If Ankara wants, even a single Turkish Cypriot could not be elected to any post. We have learned this by living... The one who wins in this contest, cannot go outside what Ankara says. Noone can win this contest, if Ankara does not want... “

21. RESULTS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 19 APRIL 2010

The TRNC Supreme Electoral Board statement announced the official results on 21 April 2010 as follows:

Total Electors: 164.072
Electors casting votes: 125.294
Voter turnout: 76.37 percent.

Candidate Total Vote Percent

Dervis Eroglu 61,422 50.35
Mehmet Ali Talat 52,294 42.87

Tahsin Ertugruloglu 4,647 3.81
Zeki Besiktepeli 1,967 1.61

M. Kemal Tumkan     964           0.79
Arif Salih Kirdag 520            0.43
Ayhan Kaymak   168             0.14

38,778 electors did not turn out and there were 3,312 invalid votes. The most invalid votes were casted in Morfou area and the less in Nicosia.
Moreover, the highest “voter turnout” was observed in Famagusta, while the lowest in Kyrenia.

21. 1. The columnist, Ali Osman, wrote in Afrika on 19.4.2010 the following:

“Tayyip Erdogan’s last night meddling on the Kanal 24 TV was not sincere in my opinion. The events turn out to be as expected. There was an interest in nationalism. Talat, too, received votes from those regions, but he could not prove enough his nationalism to them. Otherwise they could bring him out of the polls instead of Eroglu.

They had to find someone like Eroglu, who could make the other side to run from the table. In my opinion, it was a show-off to be on the Kanal 24 TV and behave as if he is intervening to the matter… It had a meaning that “I have done everything, but again Eroglu won.”

21.2. THOSE WHO LOST THIS TIME WITH THE SETTLERS’ VOTES STARTED TO CRITIZE THEM

21.2.1. The chairman of the CTP-BG, Ferdi Sabit Soyer told that the citizens who had Turkish origin changed the direction of the elections. Soyer said that they would continue their struggle for a solution and peace.” (Yeni Duzen, 19.4.2010)

21.2.2. The Chairman of the BKP, Izzet Izcan, told the citizens with a Turkish origin have settled this work of elections. Izcan said that Eroglu won the Presidency with the votes of those in Famagusta and Trikomo. If the promises of the EU and international circles would be kept, the result would be different.” Izcan also accused the Geek Cypriots that Talat lost the election by rejecting to issue a common statement on a solution and peace.” (Yeni Duzen, 19.4.2010)

21.2.3. The columnist of Halkin Sesi, Hasan Kahvecioglu, wrote on 20.4.2010 under the title “Is Erdogan the real target? Did he or we lose?” the following:

“If we compare with the 2005 presidential elections, one can see that Talat did not have very great losses, but Mr.Dervis have increased his votes in many places two or even three fold...This means that those, who orginate from Turkey and concentrate in Karpasia and Famagusta, did not go to a “different” place. They stayed in the right line and followed Mr.Dervis. Besides Erdogan’s tender, silent and hesitant “signals”. In fact, some deep state journalists could not help, but utter words like “In fact Erdogan lost”, shows where the revenge scenarios root in Turkey...”

21.2.4. The columnist of Havadis, Levent Ozadam, wrote on 21.4.2010 under the title “They could not read the electors originating from Turkey rightly!” the following:

“Those people who say that the AKP did not interfere to the presidential elections deceive only themselves. The meddling was done as much as possible, but in a way it reacted! The election result which ended with a small difference approves this.

The brain team of the AKP established a base in the TRNC and it used the Ankara government extensively. But when they made some tactical faults, they could not influence the election results and the fate of the elections could not be changed. ..The majority of our people, who originate from Turkey and live in the TRNC stand a little bit cold to the AKP and they reacted. But there are other factors other than these meddlings, which could be put forward and discussed. Those people, who supported Talat should make self-criticism.”

21.2.5. Turkish Cypriot weekly Yenicag newspaper, in its front page under the banner headline “Congratulations to the new postman!” reported on 23.4.2010 on the New Cyprus Party (YKP) executive committee's assessment on the so-called presidential election results.

The members of YKP’s executive committee Murat Kanatli, Alpay Durduran and Erdinc Selasiye held yesterday a press conference to outline their assessment on the “election” results. Mr Kanatli, inter alia, said that the number of voters in 2010, which were 164,072, has increased by 216% compared to the number of voters in 1976 when this number was 75,824. Noting that Turkey s in the “election” process in different ways, Mr Kanatli said that several circles have repeatedly made complaints regarding the behaviour of media organizations and added: “Besides that, we have our concerns and we will continue our struggle to improve this”.

Mr Kanatli added that despite all the pressure and manipulation, voter turnout in the “election” was only 76% which he described a failure for the regime. He said this was a remarkable reaction against the regime considering that a significant percentage of voters did not cast a ballot as conscientious objectors. He noted that the reaction of the people becomes more obvious when we take into consideration the fact that the turnout in the “elections” one year ago was 81%. Finally, he said that if you take into account the structure of the electorate then it is easily understood that this reaction was more prevalent among Turkish Cypriots.”

21.2.6. The G/C weekly newspaper Kathimerini reported on 25 April 2010 an interview with a close associate friend of Talat without giving his name. He said that one of the reasons of Talat’s failure in the presidential election was Christophias’ acceptance of only 50,000 Turkish settlers, who would stay in Cyprus after the solution. The Turkish settlers’ interpretation was that Talat sold them out. This was exploited by Eroglu’s propaganda machine accordingly. Although they voted “yes” in the referendum in 2004, they are not accepted by their President. So it was natural that they will not vote for Talat anymore.” (Kibris, 26.4.2010)

22.3. THE PROBLEM OF NEW CITIZENSHIPS

22.3.1. Under the title “Congestion for the citizenship”, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper reported on 28.4.2010 that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the TRNC experienced a raid yesterday ago by people who wanted to file an application in order to acquire the citizenship of the TRNC. The paper wrote that the length of the lines created by those who were waiting to file an application did not decrease all day long. The director of Ministry of Interior, Adnan Altan told Yeni Duzen that congestion existed yesterday but the citizenship was not given to every applicant. He reminded that according to the law, persons who have completed five years of work with a working permit and persons who have permanent working permit for ten years have the right to apply for permanent residence in the TRNC. He noted that these persons have the right to file an application but the citizenship is not given to everyone who applies for it. The paper reminds that in February, Ilkay Kamil, the Minister of Internal Affairs, had stated at the assembly that his government gave the TRNC citizenship to 1020 persons in ten months and alleged that no one acquired the citizenship illegally. The paper wrote that yesterday was the last day for filing such applications because the bans for the municipality elections started as of today. Therefore the congestion which existed at the above-mentioned department forced the employees to work overtime.

22.3.2. Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper reported on 29.4.2010 that the population of the TRNC increased by 8 thousand people in a year, according to a survey carried out by theState Planning Organization (DPO). The head of the statistics and research department of DPO, Mr Guner Mukellef, in a press conference yesterday, announced the “Results of Household Labour force 2009 survey”. According to these results, unemployment which was 9.8% in 2008 increased to 12.4% in 2009. Unemployment among the young people increased from 24.7% in 2008 to 31.4% in 2009.

Mr Mukellef said that while the civilian population in the TRNC, estimated in October 2008 to be 250.373 persons, increased to 258.441 persons in October 2009. The increase amounted to 8.068 persons.

22.3.3. Under the title “Pressure for citizenship”, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper reported on 29.4.2010 on its front page that the congestion which is created at the Ministry of Interior by people who sought to file an application for citizenship of the TRNC is due to the occupation government’s policy to accelerate granting citizenship before restrictions take effect regarding the election period for the local elections on 27th June.

According to the paper, some bureaucrats at the Ministry of Health are exerting pressure on doctors at the hospital to issue health reports to citizenship applicants. The Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Trade Union of Doctors, Mr Erol Seherlioglu, made these complaints to Yeni Duzen newspaper. He also added that these citizenship applicants are threatening the hospital personnel.

22.3.4. Under the title “Congestion for the citizenship”, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (28.04.10) reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs “experienced a raid” yesterday by people, who wanted to file an application in order to acquire the citizenship of the TRNC. The paper wrote that the length of the lines created by those who were waiting to file an application did not decrease all day long.

The director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Adnan Altan, told Yeni Duzen that congestion existed yesterday, but the citizenship was not given to every applicant. He reminded that according to the law, persons, who have completed five years of work with a working permit and the persons, who have permanent working permit for ten years have the right to apply for permanent residence in the TRNC. He noted that these persons have the right to file an application, but the citizenship is not given to everyone who applies for it.

The paper reminded that in February, Ilkay Kamil, the Minister of Internal Affairs, had stated at the assembly that his government gave the citizenship of the TRNC to 1020 persons in ten months and alleged that no one acquired the citizenship illegally.

The paper writes that yesterday was the last day for filing such applications because the bans for the municipality elections started as of 28.4. Therefore the congestion which existed at the above-mentioned department forced the employees to work overtime.

22.3.5. Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper (29.04.10), on its front page and under the title “Youth unemployment shot up to 31.4%; the population increased by 8 thousand people in a year”, reported on a survey, carried out by the State Planning Organization (DPO). The head of the statistics and research department of DPO, Mr Guner Mukellef, in a press conference yesterday, announced the “Results of Household Labour force 2009 survey”.

According to these results, unemployment which was 9.8% in 2008 increased to 12.4% in 2009. Unemployment among the young people increased from 24.7% in 2008 to 31.4% in 2009. Mr Mukellef said that while the civilian population in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus estimated in October 2008 to be 250.373 persons increased to 258.441 persons in October 2009. The increase amounted to 8.068 persons.

22.3.6. Under the title “Pressure for citizenship”, Yeni Duzen, reported on 29.4.2010 on its front page that the congestion which is created at the Ministry of the Internal Affairs by people who sought to file an application for citizenship of the TRNC was due to the TRNC government’s policy to accelerate granting citizenship before the restrictions take effect regarding the election period for the local elections on 27th June. According to the paper, some bureaucrats at the Ministry of Health were exerting pressure on doctors at the hospital to issue health reports to citizenship applicants. The Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Trade Union of Government Doctors, Dr. Erol Seherlioglu, made these complaints to Yeni Duzen newspaper. He also added that these citizenship applicants were threatening the hospital personnel.

22.3.7. The Secretary-General of the BKP, Izzet Izcan evaluated with his party’s Council the election results. Izcan said that the Turkish Cypriots have turned into a minority in their own country and their will has been grasped away as it was seen once again by the election results.” (Yeni Duzen, 29.4.2010)

22.3.8. Yeni Duzen newspaper reported on 1.5.2010 that a delegation of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) headed by its General Secretary, Izzet Izcan visited the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) on Friday. Mr Izcan said that the aim of their visit was to discuss the municipality elections and to inform the CTP that they are ready for cooperation among the supporters of the solution in Cyprus. Mr Izcan criticized the policy followed by the National Unity Party (UBP) on the issue of the population and added that that they were worried about the fact that the UBP distributes the TRNC citizenship with the intention to benefit in the elections. Mr Izcan noted that they will refer to this issue during the conference on Cyprus which the European Left Group will organize on May 5 at the European Parliament.

Moreover, Ferdi Sabit Soyer, chairman of the CTP, also criticized the fact that the UBP distributes the citizenship of the TRNC before the elections and alleged that this could cause worries for the future and division among the people who live in the TRNC. He claimed that especially the recent developments showed the realities and that the “artificial alliances established for the continuation of the non-solution in Cyprus”, as he described the support of the Democratic Party to Dervis Eroglu during the presidential elections, were meaningless. Referring to the statement by Serdar Denktas, leader of the Democratic Party (DP), that he could not sign the letter sent by the Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu to the UN Secretary-General right after his election, Mr Soyer alleged that “this kind of artificial alliances could serve no other purpose than creating more crises in the society”.

22.3.9. Under the title “1,500 persons became citizens within a year”, Halkin Sesi published on 4.5.2010 the statements made by the mp of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in Nicosia, Kadri Fellahoglu on the citizenship granted to settlers by the National Unity Party (UBP).

Speaking on the program “Morning Mail with Can Servan”, Mr Fellahoglu estimated that 1,500 persons became TRNC citizens during the last year. Noting that responding to a question submitted in writing two months ago by the CTP mp, Ozkan Yorgancioglu, the “Ministry of Internal Affairs answered that 1.062 persons have been granted the TRNC citizenship, Mr Fellahoglu said that during the last period the Migration Department worked until late and therefore the number of the persons who took the citizenship could have increased to 1.500.

22.3.10. Under the title “A necessity the carrying out of a population census”, Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper reported on 6.5.2010 on an address made on Monday in Brussels by the General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP), Izzet Izcan, on the “Latest developments on the Cyprus problem”.

Speaking at a panel organized by the leftist group in the European Parliament, Mr Izcan referred on Cyprus and the outcome of the latest presidential elections, the impact of the negotiations process and the population issue in the TRNC. Asking for the carrying out of a population census in the TRNC, which will be monitored by international observers, Mr Izcan said that the population in the northern part of Cyprus has increased in a form, which is in a contradiction to the Geneva Convention. The transfer of settlers in the occupied Northern Cyprus has caused the population of the Turkish Cypriot community to decrease and in a future election procedure the genuine will of the Turkish Cypriots will not be able to be expressed.

Referring to the outcome of the latest presidential elections in the TRNC, Izzet Izcan said that the outcome of the procedure was determined by the votes of those living in Famagusta and Karpass peninsula, which are of a Turkish origin. “Mehmet Ali Talat would have won the elections if the votes of the TRNC citizens who are of a Turkish origin would cast, because these persons have expressed a different will than those of the Turkish Cypriots,” he said.

Mr Izcan also stated that his party is in favour of the continuation of the negotiations in Cyprus which aim to find a solution to the problem and added that the aim of BKP is for the population of Cyprus once again to live together on the basis of an effective and honourable agreement.

22.3.11. Under the above title “One thousand and 500 persons were made citizens in one night”, the Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper reported on 7 May 2010 that tension was created one day ago at the TRNC assembly between Ilkay Kamil, Minister of Internal Affairs and Local Administrations and Abbas Sinay, the MP with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), when the latter brought onto the agenda the issue of granting the TRNC citizenship to 1500 persons before the beginning of the election bans. Mr Sinay accused the UBP government of granting the citizenship to 1500 persons including some students in order for them paying lower fees. He said that in this case all students should be declared as citizens of the TRNC. Mr Sinay said that the government was guilty because it granted the citizenship to 1500 persons in one night.

Responding to Mr Sinay, Mr Kamil said that the National Unity Party’s (UBP) government granted the citizenship to 1.139 persons until 30 April 2010. He noted that 900 persons were given the citizenship because of marriage with other citizens, 48 after a proposal by the Ministry and 81 persons because they are children from marriages with TRNC citizens.

Referring to the same issue, Mustafa Emiroglulari, the MP with the Communal Democracy Party (TDP), criticized Mr Kamil and noted that even students and persons who were painting Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu’s house were granted the TRNC citizenship.

22.3.12. Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper reported on 7.5.2010 that Izzet Izcan, the General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP), told that the change of the demographic structure in the Northern part of Cyprus through the distribution of the citizenship of the TRNC, has become a bleeding wound within the Turkish Cypriot community. Mr Izcan, who was visiting Brussels, noted that the Cyprus High Level Contact Group of the European Parliament would visit the island in June in order to follow the developments closely. He stated that he brought the issue of the change of the demographic structure of the TRNC onto the agenda of the European Parliament (EP) and asked for a population census to be held under the observation of an international committee.
Within the framework of his contacts, Mr Izcan met with Spanish MEP Willy Meyer, vice president of EP’s High Level Contact Group for Cyprus, and discussed with him the elections held in the TRNC on 18 April 2010 and the negotiating process.

23. CAMPAIGN BEFORE THE LOCAL ELECTIONS

23.1. President Talat told during a visit to the village of Ayios Antronikos (Yesilkoy) that he will be finishing the elections in the first round and sending a strong message of peace and solution to the world. Talat was accompanied by the Vice-Chairman of the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), Trikomo (Iskele) District Chairman and member of the Central Executive Committee of ORP and the Chairman of the Solidarity Association of the Turkish Refugees, Enver Dincoglu. Talat stated: “They say that our citizens, who are originating from Turkey will be sent to Turkey. This is a mere lie. Without any discrimination, everyone will be the citizen of the new state. (Kibris, 8.4.2010)

23.2. The five associations of those from Hatay, living in the TRNC, stated that they will be near the one, who applaused the TRNC. Presidential Candidate and the Prime Minister, Dervis Eroglu got another support from the citizens, who are born or their parents are born in Hatay and who live in the TRNC. The Cultural and Solidarity Association of those from Hatay, The Integration and Aid Association of those from Hatay, The Culture and Solidarity Association of those from the city of civilizations, Antakya, The Culture and Solidarity Association of those from Hatay and the Union of Students from Hatay stated that they will all support the UBP candidate Dervis Eroglu in the Presidential Elections unconditionally and without getting directives from anyone.” (Kibris, 12.4.2010)

23.3. TURKISH SETTLERS ORGANIZED THEMSELVES IN ASSOCIATIONS

After 1974, some Turkish soldiers were given the option to settle in Cyprus with their families. They first formed the Victorious Veterans’ Association of the Turkish Peace Forces. Later when the number of settlers grew, they formed The Aid and Solidarity Association of the Turkish Refugees. We saw in the course of later years, the formation of various so-called cultural associations, which are called after the name of the original birth place of the Turkish settlers, who came from Anatolia to live in the occupied northern part of Cyprus. Thus there are at the moment the following settlers’ associations:

1. TRNC Black Sea Cultural Association

2. Cultural and Solidarity Association of Persons from Gaziantep

3. Cultural and Integration Association of Persons from Adana

4. TRNC Cultural and Solidarity Association of Persons from Konya

5. TRNC Cultural Association of Persons from Malatya

6. Cultural and Solidarity Association of Persons from Cukurova

7. Aid and Solidarity Association of Persons from Erzurum

8. Educational and Cultural Foundation of Persons from Denizli

9. Association of Persons from Mardin

10. Association of Persons from the Region of the Southeast Anatolian Project (GAP)

Those coming from Hatay (Alexandretta) province were first organized in one association, but later they split into eight different associations, which support different interest groups, living mainly in Nicosia. The total number of the settlers from Hatay is estimated between 30,000 and 35,000 in 2007:

11. Integration and Aid Association of Persons from Hatay

12. Brotherhood and Solidarity Association of Person from White Hatay (Mainly settled in Famagusta)

13. Cultural and Solidarity Association of Persons from Hatay

14. Solidarity Association of Persons from Pure Hatay

15. Culture and Solidarity Association of Persons from Reyhan

16. Culture and Solidarity Association of Persons from the city of civilizations, Antakya

17. Union of Students from Hatay

18. Association for Innovators from Hatay.

19. There is also a Cultural and Aid Association of the Turks from Bulgaria, which represents about 1,600 persons.

There are also two associations of the Alevites:

20. Association for the Research and Propaganda of the Culture of Hadji Bektash-i Veli

21. Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association

Some of the construction workers also organized themselves

22. Solidarity Association of the Construction Labourers

23.4. Talat visited the quarters within the walls of Nicosia and talked with the shopkeepers and with the citizens of Turkish origin in the coffee-houses. Talat asked them not to believe the allegations about the TRNC citizens with Turkish origin: “They go around and say that “If Talat is elected, he will send you back to Turkey.” These are all lies. I have never put you on a bargain and I will not do either. I never made any differentiation between TRNC citizens of Cypriot origin and Turkish origin... President Talat visited during this visit the Election Office of the Culture and Solidarity Association of those from Reyhan and said that the citizens originating from Turkey cannot use many benefits, but with the solution they will be able to use all the possibilities equally like the other citizens with Cypriot origin. The President of the Culture and Solidarity Association of persons from Reyhan, Mehmet Celik, appealed to all theTRNC citizens with Turkish origin to support President Talat and he said that they are behind Talat until the end. (Kibris, 12.4.2010)

23.5. Full support for Bulutoglulari from the Cultural Associations: The Associations of the settlers who came to Northern Cyprus from Gaziantep, Konya and Cukurova declared that they will give full support to Cemal Bulutoglulari, the UBP candidate for the Turkish Cypriot Mayor of Nicosia.” (Volkan, 14.6.2010)

23.6. The President of the Turkish Settlers Aid and Solidarity Association, Enver Dincoglu, declared the names of the candidates, whom their members will support in the local elections. In his written statement, he said that they will support without looking to the political identity of those, who are successful and whom they think will be successful. (Kibris, 17.6.2010)

23.7. Famagusta Mayor and the CTP Candidate for Mayorship, Oktay Kayalp, told yesterday in the quarter of those from Antalya about his projects. (Halkin Sesi, 21.6.2010)

23.8. The new chairman of the Retired Officers’ Association, Alper Onel said that whatever one’s the place of birth is or whatever the political view one has, everyone should be in unity. All of the TRNC citizens need this unity and togetherness very much, especially in a period, when successive election processes took place.” (Volkan, 23.6.2010)

23.9. The Culture and Solidarity Association of persons from Gaziantep declared that they will give support to the candidates of UBP-DP cooperation in the local elections and to Resmiye Canaltay in the interim elections. (Volkan, 26.6.2010)

24. RESULTS OF THE LOCAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 27 JUNE 2010

This was the third election held in the last 14 months. The number of the electors for the local elections was 164.486. Voter turnout was 72%, highest being in Trikomo (79%) and lowest in Nicosia (65%).

In the local elections, 28 mayors, 268 municipality councellors, 148 village heads and 448 community councellors were elected. There was no election for 125 community councellors and for 91 community heads since there was enough number of candidates.

According to the Kibris newspaper (28.06.10) “There were not many changes in the municipalities and the mayors of the five big cities did not change. Out of 28 municipalities

The National Unity Party (UBP) won 12 (lost 2),

the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) 8 (all of them re-elected),

the Democratic Party (DP) 5

and independent candidates 3.

The UBP preserved its mayors in Nicosia, Trikomo and Morfou, while the CTP reelected its mayors in Famagusta and Kyrenia.

25. INTERIM ELECTION

On the same day of the local elections, interim election was made for one seat of the Famagusta district in the Parliament, which was left empty, after Mr.Dervis Eroglu was elected as the President of the TRNC. There were five candidates and Huseyin Angolemli (TDP) won this seat by having only two more votes than the UBP candidate, Resmiye Canaltay, who is the daughter of Dervis Eroglu.

Huseyin Angolemli (TDP) 11,929- 2 votes more

Resmiye Canaltay (UBP) 11,927

Dursun Oguz (ORP) 5,395

Nushet İlktug (Independent) 978

Ata Tepe (MAP) 714

25.1. After the interim election, the composition of the TRNC parliament is as follows:

Name of the Party Seats

National Unity Party (UBP) 24

Republican Turkish Party-United Forces 15

Democratic Party (DP) 4

Communal Democracy Party (TDP) 3

Freedom and Reform Party (ORP) 2

Independent Deputies 2

25.2. One of the independent Deputies at the moment is Ejder Aslanbaba, who was born in Turkey and is both TRNC and Turkish citizen, was elected in the Trikomo (Iskele) district from the DP, but he resigned later from his party. The other one, Tahsin Ertugruloglu was originally elected in Nicosia from the UBP. When he decided to put his candidacy against Dervis Eroglu in the Presidential Elections, he was excluded from the UBP.

25.3. The UBP will be going to seek for a coalition partner in the coming months since this party does not have the majority vote in the assembly of the TRNC.

ANNEX I: POLITICAL PARTIES IN NORTHERN CYPRUS

Shortly after the division of the island in the wake of the Turkish invasion of 1974, the Turkish Cypriot administration tried to improve its institutions of self-government. Its efforts initially met with some success, especially as regards the formation of a legislative body.

In its current form this body has 50 members chosen through electoral contests occurring every 5 years. Political parties must obtain at least 5% of the total vote to gain entry to the legislature. Voters are able to choose candidates from different parties in five electoral districts, namely Nicosia (16 legislators), Famagusta (13 legislators), Kyrenia (9 legislators), Morphou (6 legislators), and Trikomo (6 legislators). The first elections in northern Cyprus took place in June 1976.

The main parliamentary political parties in northern Cyprus are the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), the National Unity Party (UBP), the Democratic Party (DP) and the Communal Democracy Party (TDP).

Founded in 1970 the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) is the oldest party in northern Cyprus and has a centre-left political orientation. It is a member of the Socialist International since 30 June 2008. Its founding leader, Ahmed Mithat Berberoglu, was succeeded by Ozker Ozgur and later by Mehmet Ali Talat and Ferdi Sabit Soyer. The party has traditionally opposed the idea of partitioning Cyprus and is in favor of a negotiated solution that would follow the ideas included in the Annan Plan.

The majority of RTP supporters are Turkish Cypriots although it has consistently, during the recent election campaigns, solicited the vote of the Turkish settlers. (NOTE: the Annan Plan essentially provides that at least 60,000 settlers will remain in Cyprus, which has made the plan attractive to those settlers who have been in Cyprus longer and are therefore eligible to remain under the Plan) Mehmet Ali Talat was reported during the 2003 campaign as saying that: “The human rights of the Greek Cypriots are not more important than the property rights of the mainland Turkish settlers in Cyprus,”(Press Summary of 25.8.03, published in Birlik 24.8.03)

In the Parliamentary elections of 20 January 2005 the CTP, in cooperation with the United Forces (CTP-BG) won 44.5 of the popular vote and 24 out of 50 seats and became the largest group in the TRNC Assembly. Its candidate, Mr.Talat, won the Presidential election of the TRNC in April 2005 with 55.8 % of the popular vote and was proclaimed as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots by the US Administration. Mr.Soyer was elected as the President of the party, who was the Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009.

The National Unity Party (UBP) was founded in 1975 by Rauf Denktash and others. Its current leader is Irsen Kucuk. In April 1994 the party incorporated the right-wing settler party of Orhan Ucok (the Homeland Party). The National Unity Party’s political agenda focuses on the concept that the current status quo in Cyprus is the best solution to the Problem, because it provides the best policy options for Turkey. The party opposes any solution that would deprive Turkey of its effective control of the island or that would mean that any of the Turkish settlers—on whose vote the party is largely dependent—would have to be repatriated.

The Democratic Party (DP) is a right-wing party founded in 1992 as a breakaway faction of the National Unity Party that included Denktash’s younger son, Serdar. (Denktash has been supportive of his son’s party). The Democratic Party was joined later by the Social Democratic Party of Ergun Vehbi (originally founded by Raif Denktash—Rauf Denktash’s eldest son who died in a car accident in the late eighties). In 1992 the Democratic Party was joined by the main settler party of Ali Ozkan Altinisik (the Rebirth Party) hence gaining the largest settler following among all parties in northern Cyprus.

The Democratic Party supports the position that the solution of the Cyprus Problem must be based on the notion of two separate sovereign states. In August of 1994 together with the National Unity Party it voted against the idea of a federal solution to the Cyprus Problem, supporting instead Rauf Denktash’s call for a confederation. The Democratic Party has been traditionally opposed to Cyprus’ accession to the EU. Nevertheless, it has not rejected the Annan Plan outright, especially once the strong pro-Annan Plan and pro-Europe demonstrations of the Turkish Cypriots got underway in 2002-3.

The Communal Democracy Party (TDP) was formed in May 2007 with the merger of the Peace and Democracy Movement-BDH (founded under the leadership of Mustafa Akinci in June 2003 with an alliance of the several smaller political parties and trade-unions) and the Communal Liberation Party.

The party has no ideological platform other than the common desire to resolve the Cyprus Problem in accordance with the provisions of the Annan Plan. The Communal Democracy Party is predominantly a Turkish Cypriot-supported party. The People’s Party of Mr.Rasit Pertev, ex-advisor to Mr.Talat, joined the TDP just before the general elections of 2009. The party leader is Mehmet Cakici.

The Freedom and Reform Party (ORP) was formed in 2006 by former MP’s from the UBP and DP in order to form a coalition government with the CTP-BG. The party leader is Turgay Avci who was the Mp Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs until the general elections of 2009.

All of the parties in northern Cyprus were and continue to be under the effective control of Ankara.

Only independent pro-reunification parties are the United Cyprus Party (Chairman: Izzet Izcan) which cooperated with the Jasmine Movement of the Afrika newspaper and the New Cyprus Party (Secretary for Foreign Relations: Alpay Durduran) which boycotted the general elections of 2009.

myislandcyprus

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL TO THE "WRITTEN EVIDENCE" BY AHMET DJAVIT AN (2009-2010)