Polls have closed in a snap general election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and the count is expected to begin shortly. Votes were cast at 719 polling stations across the country in the 14th election since 1976, when the TRNC was the Turkish Federated State of Northern Cyprus. The TRNC was founded in 1983. Due to changes to the election system, the vote count may take longer than in previous years. A total of 379 candidates from eight parties and nine independent candidates are competing for 50 seats in Parliament.
The eight parties running in the election are the National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democrat Party (DP), who make up the current coalition government, plus the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Communal Democracy Party (TDP), Peoples’ Party (HP), Communal Liberation Party-New Forces (TKP-YG), Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP), and Renaissance Party (YDP).
An election threshold of 5 percent applies in the TRNC, which has over 190,500 eligible voters.
Full Article: Polls close in Turkish Cypriot general elections.
