Turkish Cypriots head to polls on Sunday

By Zuhal Demirci and Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Turkish Cypriots are heading for snap general elections on Sunday to elect their parliamentary deputies.

Four-hundred candidates from eight parties and nine independent candidates will be competing for 50 seats in the parliament in Sunday's election.

The eight parties running in the election are the National Unity Party (UBP), the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the Communal Democracy Party (TDP), the Democrat Party (DP), the Peoples' Party (HP), the Communal Liberation Party-New Forces (TKP-YG), the Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP) and the Renaissance Party (YDP).

An election threshold of five percent is in effect in the country where there are 190,551 electorates.

The capital Lefkosa will lead by 16 deputies. Gazimagusa will be represented by 13 deputies, Girne by 10, Iskele by five, Guzelyurt by four and Lefke by two deputies.

Voters will cast their votes in 719 ballot boxes across the country.

Since the last general elections held in Jan. 2013, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has experienced three coalition governments led by three different prime ministers.

The current UBP-DP coalition government is headed by Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun.

In November, by a vote of 38-2, the parliament passed a motion calling early elections. Under the motion, general elections originally planned for July 2018 were moved up seven months to Jan. 7.