Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash raised the prospect on Monday of a new election in his enclave after both supporters and opponents of a U.N. peace plan for Cyprus failed to clinch victory in a landmark poll.
Sunday’s election in northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey, produced a parliament evenly split between the rival camps, dampening hopes of a quick deal that would allow Cyprus to join the EU next May as a reunited island.
Denktash, whose supporters oppose the U.N. plan, said he would hold consultations with the rival parties and give a mandate to one of them.
“If they can’t form a government within two months we will have to go to a new election,” said Denktash.
The veteran leader said the election result showed Turkish Cypriots backed the reunification of Cyprus and European Union membership but not at any price.
“Half the people say, ’Let’s enter (the EU) immediately with the (U.N.) plan.’ ... The other half say, ’Let’s enter but not by trampling on international agreements.’ ... They are divided on the means and parliament is deadlocked,” Denktash told a news conference in the divided capital, Nicosia.
The pro-Denktash parties and those backing the U.N. plan each have 25 seats in the new legislature.
Denktash and his patron Turkey are under heavy international pressure to resume peace negotiations with the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south of the island.
Failure to reach a settlement could cement the island’s ethnic division, deepen the Turkish Cypriots’ international isolation and scupper Turkey’s own hopes of opening entry talks with the European Union in early 2005.
Denktash said on Monday the parties might consider forming a national coalition government. On Sunday evening, the main opposition Republican Turkish Party, or CTP, ruled out joining up with the pro-Denktash forces.
Fears of domination
Denktash added that he was under no obligation to give the CTP the first chance of forming a government even though it was now the biggest party in the parliament, on 19 seats.
Denktash fears the U.N. plan, which envisages a federal government for Cyprus with broad autonomy for the two ethnic communities, will allow the more numerous and wealthier Greek Cypriots to dominate a reunited island.
“We are against any agreement that would give either of the two groups in Cyprus the opportunity to dominate the other,” he said at Monday’s news conference.
Politicians in Ankara have been watching the election closely, knowing that progress towards reunification of Cyprus would remove a key obstacle on its bumpy road towards opening entry talks with the EU, possibly in early 2005.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement overnight that Sunday’s election result showed that Turkish Cypriots wanted a peace settlement for the island.
“We call upon all parties to reengage in the U.N.-led talks without delay,” it said.
Turkey has stationed some 30,000 troops in northern Cyprus since it invaded in 1974 in response to a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta then ruling Athens.