Front Page Headlines
Our shores are under threat
The results of a two-year study carried out by the Near East University’s “Marine Pollution Scientific Research Project” is frightening. Cyprus’s beaches and the shoreline is under threat from the waste and rubbish originating from Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Egypt.
New curfew hours will be between 10 pm to 5 am as of tomorrow
The night-time curfew which has been in force from Mondays to Saturdays between 9 pm and 5 am is changing. As of tomorrow, the night-time curfew has been extended from 10 pm to 5 am. However, the full-day curfew for May 23 is still in force.
N/A due to Eid al-Fitr holiday & the lockdown
N/A due to Eid al-Fitr holiday & the lockdown
Main News
Tatar reiterates the need for sovereignty during Eid visit
Kıbrıs (web site)
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday said the Turkish Cypriots’ sovereignty was vital for the continuation of the Turkish Cypriot state. Speaking during a visit to family members of martyrs as part of the Bairam (Eid al-Fitr) visit, Tatar expressed gratitude to those who died defending the Turkish Cypriot community.
He highlighted the importance of remembering the past, claiming that those who forget their history are doomed to disappear. “Since the day I got elected in office, I have been trying to serve with this concept in my mind,” Tatar added.
Also referring to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian community, Tatar underlined the importance of the continuation of Turkey’s effective guarantees on the island. “We together with Turkey will continue to work a peaceful and secure future for the Turkish Cypriots,” he concluded.
Saner: Early election should be held in April 2022
Kıbrıs (web site)
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersan Saner on Saturday showed no sign of backing down from his government’s determination to postpone early elections to April 2021. Saner responded to the opposition’s criticisms that the government was stalling on the issue of early elections even though a legal deadline for mid-term elections had expired.
He said his coalition government was in favour of holding an early election on April 2022, claiming that they had not predicted the pandemic would last this long when first uttering October 2021 as an early election date when forming the new government.
Saner also argued that the government was striving to do its best in executive and the legislative branches of governance. “Nonetheless, the opposition does not allow the parliamentary sub-committee to operate effectively,” Saner said, adding that the government is working on implementing the necessary laws as well and will amend the structure of the sub-committees to be more effective.
People’s Party (HP) leader Kudret Özersay was quick in responding to Saner’s remarks. In a post on social media on Saturday, Özersay reminded Saner that it was the coalition members which were constantly absent from parliament’s regular sessions, creating a crisis of quorum.
“Had we, the opposition, not stepped in to ensure the quorum, several meetings would not have been possible, and many bills would not have been discussed or the minority government’s budget would not have been passed,” Özersay said.
He accused Saner of forgetting that National Unity Party (UBP) – Democratic Party (DP) and Rebirth Party (YDP) “is only a minority government and that they are using unlawful methods to rule as if they have the majority.”
Main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman and MP Doğuş Derya also slammed Saner for his comments. Both CTP members accused Saner of “telling and spreading lies before the eyes of the community.”
Writing on social media, Erhürman said “We are being made to pay the price for those in power being detached from the truth.” Derya, also on Facebook, said she will obtain the minutes of the sub-committee meetings to prove Saner wrong.