Two mayors elected either with the National Unity Party (UBP) or with the support of UBP and the Democratic Party National Forces (DP-UG) have announced that they support independent candidate Kudret Ozersay in tomorrow’s presidential elections.
President Dervis Eroglu, who is running for re-election as an independent, is openly supported by both the UBP and the DP-UG.
The Mayor of Lapta and former general secretary of the UBP, Fuat Namsoy said on Thursday, that he supports Ozersay and not Eroglu. Describing Namsoy’s decision as “surprising”, Turkish Cypriot daily ‘Havadis’ notes that Lapta is regarded as a UBP stronghold and this announcement is expected to deal a big blow to Eroglu.
Mehmet Hulusioglu, mayor of Catalkoy, also expressed his support for Ozersay on Thursday, noting that he has been in politics for six years and thinks that young candidates should be supported. Hulusioglu had been elected with the support of UBP and DP.
Lapta Mayor Fuat Namsoy, who is among the mayors elected with the highest vote percentage, was asked by ‘Havadis’ if he was worried that the UBP will take disciplinary action against him or even throw him out of the party, because his decision counters UBP politics . He replied that he does not think that the UBP will make such a move, but if it does, he will defend himself. He noted that he believes in Ozersay and that he is not alone, but “this is a result of a mass movement in Lapta”, he said.
The paper writes that Eroglu is shocked because, in spite of the UBP and DP decision to support him, many active members of these parties have already expressed their support for other candidates.
The most notable are Mehmet Bayram and Ertugrul Hasipoglu in Famagusta, Halil Orun in Yeni Iskele, Enver Emin and Olgun Pasalar in North Nicosia and Fuat Namsoy and Mehmet Huslusioglu in Kyrenia.
It was also noted that from the very beginning of the election process, former UBP deputies Tansel Doratli, Afer Ozcafer and Ersoy Ince from Famagusta had expressed their support for independent candidate Mustafa Akinci.
Havadis
