Politics

New government formed in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Ersan Saner, vice chair of National Unity Party, manages to form Turkish Cypriot government on 2nd attempt

Muhammed Ikbal Arslan  | 09.12.2020 - Update : 10.12.2020
New government formed in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

A new government was formed in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Wednesday.

Ersan Saner, acting chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP), will head the new government, having formed it after an unsuccessful attempt last month, followed by another stillborn effort by Tufan Erhurman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP).

Saner formed the new coalition government with Democrat Party (DP) and Rebirth Party (YDP).

After submitting his list of the Cabinet members to President Ersin Tatar, Saner revealed it at a news conference:

"Prime Minister Ersan Saner, Deputy Prime Minister and Economy and Energy Minister Erhan Arikli, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu, Interior Minister Kutlu Evren, Finance Minister Dursun Oguz, National Education and Culture Minister Olgun Amcaoglu, Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Nazim Cavusoglu, Public Works and Transport Minister Unal Ustel, Health Minister Ali Pilli, Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoglu, Labor and Social Security Minister Koral Cagman."

"I wish our government be beneficial to all our people," Saner said, adding that they will take the steps that should be taken as soon as possible with other partners in the government.

He stressed that the new government will go into an intensive period soon to be in cooperation with Turkey to achieve many issues, especially enhancing the country's financial situation.

On Tuesday, the UBP, DP and YDP signed a protocol at the TRNC’s Assembly of the Republic with UBP acting chairperson Saner, DP chairperson Ataoglu and YDP chairperson Arikli in the presence of representatives of all three parties.

Saner, who was born in 1966 in Gazimagusa, also known as Famagusta, took part in various tasks in the TRNC governments, Tourism, Environment and Culture Ministry in 2009 and Public Works and Transport Ministry in 2010.

He was re-elected as UBP Gazimagusa deputy in 2018, and was the secretary general of the UBP since June 2019.

Saner is married with two children and speaks English.

The need for a new government was triggered by elections this October in which then-Prime Minister Ersin Tatar was elected the country’s president, leaving the premier’s chair empty.

The UBP currently holds 20 seats in parliament, while the CTP has 12, the People's Party (HP) six, the DP three, Communal Democracy Party (TDP) three, and the YDP two. Three seats are held by independents after they recently resigned from the HP.

Twenty-six seats in the TRNC's 50-seat parliament are needed to form a government.

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