Northern Cyprus presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
on Sunday April 17, 2005. It followed parliamentary elections
in the internationally unrecognised country on February 20, which had been won by the pro-unification Republican Turkish Party (CTP)
.
It is traditional in Turkish Cypriot presidential elections for political parties to nominate individuals as their candidate, although the number of independents have increased in recent polls. The CTP nominated its leader, Mehmet Ali Talat
, who emerged as the clear winner with a 56% share of the vote. The notable absence in this election was the first and at that point only president of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş
. He had announced in mid-2004 that he would not be running again.
in this election is elected to a five-year term as president.
The Turkish Cypriot electoral commission put the turnout at 69.58% - a lower figure than previous presidential elections, which have always been over 80%. It led UBP leader Derviş Eroğlu to question the legitimacy of the election, pointing to the fact that so many voters had decided not to vote in protest.
54% of those polled said the election would be finalised in the first round, while 41% said a second round of voting would be required.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus...
on Sunday April 17, 2005. It followed parliamentary elections
Northern Cyprus parliamentary election, 2005
Early parliamentary elections were held in the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 20 February 2005, after the coalition government led by Mehmet Ali Talat lost its majority in the House of Representatives. The House had 50 members, elected for a five year term by...
in the internationally unrecognised country on February 20, which had been won by the pro-unification Republican Turkish Party (CTP)
Republican Turkish Party
The Republican Turkish Party is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Cyprus. The party was founded in 1970 by Ahmet Mithat Berberoğlu, a lawyer, in opposition to the leadership of Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş.In the 1980s, the CTP's political position shifted to the left, to a...
.
It is traditional in Turkish Cypriot presidential elections for political parties to nominate individuals as their candidate, although the number of independents have increased in recent polls. The CTP nominated its leader, Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat is the former President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was the leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party . He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the Presidential election held on 17 April 2005...
, who emerged as the clear winner with a 56% share of the vote. The notable absence in this election was the first and at that point only president of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş
Rauf Denktas
Rauf Raif Denktaş is the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , a de facto state which is only recognized by Turkey...
. He had announced in mid-2004 that he would not be running again.
System
A candidate needs an absolute majority of valid votes in order to win a Turkish Cypriot presidential election. If no candidate secures the necessary majority, a second round of voting is held between the two top candidates. The candidate with a simple majorityMajority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
in this election is elected to a five-year term as president.
Schedule
The election campaign began on March 22 and will end the day before the election, on April 16. Under rules set out by the High Electoral Committee, public opinion polls cannot be published or broadcast after April 2. Results for the first round are announced a few hours after polls close.Election results
As published by the Anatolia News Agency on April 18, 2005. Results are considered unofficial until published in the Official Gazette.The Turkish Cypriot electoral commission put the turnout at 69.58% - a lower figure than previous presidential elections, which have always been over 80%. It led UBP leader Derviş Eroğlu to question the legitimacy of the election, pointing to the fact that so many voters had decided not to vote in protest.
March 30 public survey
A poll had been conducted between March 23 and March 27, 2005 by the Cyprus Social Research and Education Consultancy Centre (KADEM). It found that Mehmet Ali Talat would win an absolute majority in the first round. The poll of 1472 people across North Cyprus put the results as follows:- Mehmet Ali Talat - 54.9%
- Derviş Eroğlu - 26.8%
- Mustafa Arabacıoğlu - 8.9%
- Hüseyin Angolemli - 2.5%
- Nuri Çevikel - 1.2%
- Zeki Beşiktepeli - 1.5%
- Ayhan Kaymak - 0.6%
- Arif Salih Kırdağ - 0.4%
- Zehra Cengiz - 0.2%
54% of those polled said the election would be finalised in the first round, while 41% said a second round of voting would be required.