Üstel Accuses Erhürman of Inconsistency Over Mixed Voting Law

In a statement, Üstel said Erhürman had openly stated during his tenure as leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) that mixed voting made no contribution to the political system.

“President Tufan Erhürman returning the law abolishing mixed voting to the Republic Assembly today is a serious inconsistency,” Üstel said.

“Mr Erhürman’s attempt to defend today a system he considered wrong yesterday is a political, not a legal, choice,” he said. Üstel added that if there were any doubts over the law’s constitutionality, it could have been referred to the Constitutional Court for an opinion.

He said this route had not been chosen because “there is no regulation whose unconstitutionality has been established. There is a law adopted through the joint will of three political parties and duly passed by the Republic Assembly.”

“There Is No Such Provision in the Constitution”

Üstel said returning the law to Parliament on political grounds rather than referring it to the Constitutional Court was incompatible with the respect that should be shown for Parliament’s will.

He said there was no provision in the Constitution of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) preventing electoral laws from being amended within one year of an election. He added that there were clear examples in recent political history of electoral laws being amended and implemented shortly before elections.

“No one should seek a legal cover for this political decision,” Üstel said, stressing that their roadmap was clear: “The Constitution of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the laws of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic Assembly, which represents the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.”

“Voters’ Right to Choose Has Not Been Removed”

Üstel said abolishing mixed voting did not remove voters’ right to choose, noting that the right to express preferences within political parties would remain unchanged.

He said the purpose of the amendment was to reduce invalid votes, simplify the electoral system and ensure that the will of the people was reflected more accurately at the ballot box.

Arguing that the presidency could not become part of the electoral calculations of any political party, Üstel said:

“What is expected from this office is to safeguard the integrity of the state and the common will of the people, not the interests of the party from which the office-holder came.”

“Those who forget what they said yesterday and sacrifice their commitment to impartiality for political calculations will, ultimately, have to answer to the public conscience,” Üstel said.

He concluded:

“Our position is clear. We will stand by the will of Parliament.

“We will ensure that the will of the people is reflected at the ballot box in a clear, accurate and strong manner. We will not take a step back on this issue.”