New coalition gov't formed in Northern Cyprus

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar has approved a new coalition government Cabinet under Faiz Sucuoglu.

The coalition government of the National Unity Party (UBP) and the Democrat Party (DP) was formed under the chairmanship of Sucuoglu, the head of UBP.

The new Cabinet members are as follows:

- Prime minister: Faiz Sucuoglu

- Economy and energy minister: Sunat Atun

- Tourism and environment minister: Fikri Ataoglu

- Foreign minister: Tahsin Ertugruloglu

- Finance minister: Dursun Oguz

- Interior minister: Kutlu Evren

- Public works and transportation minister: Resmiye Canaltay

- Education and culture minister: Olgun Amcaoglu

- Agriculture and natural resources minister: Nazim Cavusoglu

- Health minister: Ali Pilli

- Labor and social security minister: Koral Cagman

Sucuoglu congratulated the new Cabinet members and said they will hold an early election in January.

Noting that they had talks with other party representatives about the early elections, he said: "I guess there will be an election in January, the exact date will be determined in the coming days. If there will be no problem in terms of passing the budget, Jan. 9 is our choice. All parties agree on the early elections in January.”

Who is Faiz Sucuoglu?

Sucuoglu, elected the chairman at the 22nd Ordinary Congress of the UBP held on Oct. 30-31, was tasked with forming the government by the president on Nov. 1.

Sucuoglu was born on Aug. 27, 1961 in Baf. After graduating from Lefkosa Turkish High School, he completed his medical education, which he started in Germany with a scholarship, at Istanbul University Capa Medical Faculty.

He took part in various non-governmental organizations. He was elected the Lefkosa deputy from the UBP in the early general elections of July 28, 2013, and entered the Republican Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for the first time. He is married and speaks English and German.

On Oct. 13, Ersan Saner, the ex-prime minister of the TRNC submitted his resignation to the president.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

The TRNC was founded in 1983. It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year when Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN's Annan plan to end the decades-long dispute.​​​​​​​

* Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara.