Turkish Cypriot president approves new government

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci has approved a new coalition government cabinet under Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun.

Saturday’s move comes after the National Unity Party (UBP), the junior partner in the wide-based coalition with the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), withdrew from the government on April 2.

Ozgurgun's party formed a coalition with the Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) and independents, and announced the government's new cabinet list after submitting it for the president’s approval.

The new cabinet members are:

- Prime Minister: Huseyin Ozgurgun 

- Foreign Minister: Serdar Ertugruloglu 

- Finance Minister: Serdar Denktas

- Interior Minister: Kutlu Evren

- Economy and Energy Minister: Sunat Atun

- Labor and Social Security Minister: Hamza Ersan Saner

- Tourism Minister and Environment Minister: Fikri Ataoglu

- Education and Culture Minister: Ozdemir Berova

- Health Minister: Faiz Sucuoglu

- Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister: Nazim Cavusoglu

- Public Works and Transportation Minister: Kemal Durust

Meanwhile, Ozgurgun took the reins from previous Prime Minister Omer Kalyoncu in a handover ceremony. 

Amid the change in government, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is in talks with the Greek Cypriot administration over a possible reunification agreement this year.

In July 2015 the UBP formed a coalition government with the CTP-BG. That party currently has 20 seats in the Turkish Cypriot parliament, and the UBP has 18.

The Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) has five deputies, the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) has three, and there are four independent deputies.