The turnout of Turkish Cypriots in the June 9 European elections was closely monitored, as it was considered a crucial factor in the overall election outcome.
The mobilisation hoped for by the left-wing party AKEL to boost its dynamic ultimately fell short of expectations.
AKEL secured 4,485 votes from Turkish Cypriots at special polling stations set up for them, a figure significantly lower than the party’s pre-election estimates.
According to Kıbrıs Postası, the Republican Turkish Party (RTP) supported the candidacy of Niyazi Kızılyürek but failed to mobilise its supporters en masse.
The low turnout is being interpreted in the occupied areas as a reflection of the challenges faced by the RTP.
Despite this, the ballots cast at the special polling stations confirmed the importance of Turkish Cypriot votes for AKEL. The majority of Turkish Cypriots who turned out to vote cast their ballots in favour of AKEL. Out of the 5,200 Turkish Cypriots who participated, almost four-and-a-half thousand voted for AKEL, contributing to the party’s lead over the third-placed independent candidate.
The turnout of Turkish Cypriots on Sunday was roughly similar to the 2019 turnout. However, the high number of registered Turkish Cypriot voters seemed misleading. Unlike Greek Cypriot voters, who actively choose whether or not to register on the electoral roll, many Turkish Cypriots were automatically registered.
When the ballots at the special polling stations were opened on Sunday evening, AKEL’s dominance among Turkish Cypriot voters was evident. Meanwhile, VOLT and the Ecologists garnered far fewer votes. It had been suggested that the inclusion of Turkish Cypriot candidates on the lists of the other two parties might take away votes from AKEL. However, the combined votes for VOLT and the Ecologists amounted to around a thousand, which was not enough to change the overall negative outcome for AKEL.
Here is a breakdown of the Turkish Cypriot votes for the three parties at the nine special polling stations:
- Kato Pyrgos: AKEL received 20 votes, while VOLT received 8.
- Flasou: AKEL secured 80 votes, VOLT 10, and the Ecologists 7.
- Astromeritis: AKEL’s vote tally was 546, the Ecologists received 34, and VOLT 12.
- Agios Dometios: AKEL received 866 votes, VOLT 96, and the Ecologists 77.
- Nicosia Town Planning polling station: AKEL’s vote count was 1,013, VOLT received 150, and the Ecologists 103.
- Old Market polling station: AKEL secured 848 votes, VOLT 104, and the Ecologists 69.
- Xylotymbou: AKEL received 196 votes, the Ecologists 15, and VOLT 12.
- Acheritou: 223 voted for AKEL, 74 for VOLT, and 21 for the Ecologists.
- Deryneia: AKEL received 693 votes, VOLT 155, and the Ecologists 41.
In total, AKEL received 4,485 votes from Turkish Cypriots, VOLT 621, and the Ecologists 367. As for the Turkish Cypriot candidates, Niyazi Kızılyürek received 16,454 votes, Hulusi Kilic (VOLT) 1,979, and Oz Karahan (Ecologists) 1,009.
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