Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot non-voting representative at the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe Hasan Tacoy has called for designated seats for the Turkish Cypriot community at the next European Parliament elections in 2029. He said the election should be held on “two separate sides,” referring to the 2004 Annan plan referendum.
Call for a separate election model
Tacoy told journalists that “the right of Turkish Cypriots to representation should be exercised not through the current method, but through a model which reflects the separate will of the two communities.” He said Turkish Cypriots should be allowed a “direct and separate election model” for the next European Parliament elections.
Current voter registration and seat allocation
Turkish Cypriots who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and live on the island are automatically registered as voters for European Parliament elections. At the most recent elections in 2024, 104,103 Turkish Cypriots were registered to vote, including 103,269 living in the north and 834 living in the Republic.
Cyprus’ six seats in the European Parliament are not designated for any community, unlike many public roles foreseen under the Republic of Cyprus’ constitution.
Constitutional roles and the Annan plan provision
Under the 1960 constitution, 30 per cent of MPs in Cyprus were foreseen to be Turkish Cypriots, and Turkish Cypriots were guaranteed mayoralties and the vice presidency of the republic. The Turkish Cypriot community’s holding of those roles ended in 1963 when they were ejected from all their public roles in the republic.
The Annan plan envisaged a new allocation of public roles, including that two of the island’s six members of the European Parliament be Turkish Cypriots. The plan did not come to pass after it was rejected in the 2004 referendum.
Election participation and past results
Cyprus’ six MEPs are elected regardless of community, and polling stations are only opened in the Republic, accounting for the island’s continued division. Turkish Cypriot political parties do not stand in European Parliament elections, and only one Turkish Cypriot candidate, Akel’s Niyazi Kizilyurek, has been elected, though others including Volt’s Hulusi Kilim and the Ecologists’ Movement’s Oz Karahan have stood as candidates.
Next election dates
The next European Parliament elections will take place between June 7 and June 10, 2029, with Cyprus to go to the polls on June 10.
How should representation for Turkish Cypriots be handled in Cyprus’ 2029 European Parliament elections?
