LEFKOSA - The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) parliament will convene in a special session on Saturday to vote a censure motion to unseat the Republican Turkish Party-Democrat Party (CTP-DP) coalition government.
The CTP-DP coalition government was formed on January 13, 2004 with 26 seats after the general elections on December 14, 2003 but three resignations followed the April 24 referendum and left it with a minority in the legislature of the TRNC.
Main opposition National Unity Party (UBP) of the TRNC earlier tabled a censure motion to unseat the CTP-DP coalition government that currently has 23 seats in the parliament.
If twenty-six TRNC parliamentarians, one more than the half of the 50-seat parliament, vote in favor of the censure motion, the coalition government will be toppled and resignation of the government will be presented to TRNC President Rauf Denktas.
UBP leader Dervis Eroglu said, ''we would not have presented the censure motion if we had not believed that we can topple the coalition government. Currently, the opposition has 27 votes and the ruling has 23. We believe we would reach 26. However, it was understood after yesterday's parliamentary session that it is 25 to 25.''
The censure motion is backed by UBP which has 18 seats, Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) which has 4 seats, New Party (YP) which has one seat and two independent deputies, reaching 25 in total while the coalition has 23 seats.
TRNC Prime Minister and CTP leader Mehmet Ali Talat said that there is not any alternative except early general elections.
''We will absolutely resort to early elections whether or not the censure motion is accepted,'' he said.
TRNC Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister said that ''they agreed with their coalition partner on early general elections in November if they cannot succeed to form a structure of 26-seat government in the 50-seat TRNC parliament and the government fails to defeat a censure motion in the parliament on Saturday.''
DP leader Denktas said that there is no way accept early elections if they fail to reach 26-seat majority, adding, ''it is not easy to form another government in today's parliament.''
The CTP-DP coalition government was formed with 26-seat majority in the 50-seat TRNC parliament but two resignations from DP on April 26 left it with a minority government. The coalition government's seats reduced to 23 after one CTP parliamentarian's resignation on May 17.
(MS-AÖ) 16.07.2004