CYPRUS: New coalition talks in north stuck on power sharing demands

Talks between the right-wing National Unity Party (UBP) and People’s Party (HP) for the formation of a ruling coalition in the Turkish-held north have come to a halt due to disagreements over who gets senior and junior posts.

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UBP has met with all party leaders in the north once, while it met with HP at least twice, announcing on Friday that there was an understanding between the two parties, with discussions over the formation of the coalition launched.

Meetings between the two parties have since come to a standstill, with UBP’s leader Ersin Tatar telling reporters on Monday that the two parties are to continue exchanging views on the principles of a possible future cooperation. However, the sticking point seems to be the distribution of key positions in the coalition.

Tatar admitted to reporters, after a short phone conversation with HP’s Kudret Ozersay, that the two parties are going over the distribution of senior positions in the coalition. Ozersay commented that in a possible coalition a deal on the matter of principles is as equally important as the distribution of key positions in the coalition.

UBP’s Ersin Tatar was given the mandate to form a ruling coalition within 15 days on 14 May by Turkish Cypriot Mustafa Akinci, after the previous administration collapsed over a property scandal.

In the event of UBP failing to form a majority to command the Turkish Cypriot assembly within 15 days since assuming the mandate, it will have to return the mandate to Akinci.

While meetings between the two parties have been put on ice, Tatar said that one way or another the matter will come to an end on Tuesday.