National Unity Party (Northern Cyprus)

National Unity Party

Ulusal Birlik Partisi
National Unity Party Ulusal Birlik Partisi
Leader	Ünal Üstel
Founder	Rauf Denktaş
Founded	11 October 1975; 49 years ago
Headquarters	North Nicosia
Ideology	National conservatism; Turkish nationalism; Two-state solution
Political position	Right-wing
European affiliation	European Conservatives and Reformists (until 2022)
Colors	Orange White Black
Parliament	24 / 50
Municipalities	6 / 18
Website
	ulusalbirlikpartisi.com
	Politics of Northern Cyprus; Political parties; Elections;

The National Unity Party (Turkish: Ulusal Birlik Partisi, UBP) is a political party in Northern Cyprus. The UBP party was founded by Rauf Denktaş on 11 October 1975. The party was in power from its creation until the 2003 elections with the exception of the period from 1994–1996. Ideologically, it has been variously described as conservative, Turkish nationalism, liberal conservative, and national-conservative.^[1] The party is positioned on the right-wing of the political spectrum,^[2] and it supports a two-state solution to the Cyprus dispute.^[3]^[4]^[5] Until April 2022, the party was a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party, which it had joined in April 2017.^[6]

In the 2005 Northern Cypriot presidential election, the party's candidate Derviş Eroğlu amassed 22.8% of the votes. In the 2009 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, the party won 44% of the popular vote and 26 out of 50 seats, forming a majority government led by Eroğlu.^[7] The party also won the 2010 Northern Cyprus presidential election with Eroğlu as its candidate, and the 2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election with Ersin Tatar as its candidate. From 2016 until 2018 Northern Cypriot parliamentary election, the party was the senior partner in a minority government with the Democratic Party, with its leader Hüseyin Özgürgün serving as prime minister. It had previously been a junior partner in a coalition government with the Republican Turkish Party, preceded by a period as the opposition party between 2013 and 2015.^[8] Since January 2023, the party has been led by Ünal Üstel, who replaced Faiz Sucuoğlu.^[9]

Election results

Assembly of the Republic
Election	Votes			Seats		Role	Notes
Election	No.	%	Rank	No.	±	Role	Notes
1976	408,380	53.8	1st	30 / 40	new	Government
1981	431,732	42.5	1st	18 / 40	12	Government
1985	546,582	36.8	1st	24 / 50	6	Government
1990	954,592	54.7	1st	34 / 50	10	Government
1993	535,316	29.8	1st	16 / 50	18	Opposition	In government from 1996
1998	440,626	40.3	1st	24 / 50	8	UBP–DP coalition
2003	439,249	32.9	2nd	18 / 50	6	Opposition
2005	410,813	31.7	2nd	19 / 50	1	Opposition
2009	622,804	44.1	1st	26 / 50	7	Government
2013	339,864	27.3	2nd	14 / 50	12	Opposition	In government from 2016
2018	1,907,030	35.6	1st	21 / 50	7	Government	In government from 2019
2022	1,971,400	39.5	1st	24 / 50	3	UBP–DP–YDP coalition

Party leaders

Rauf Denktaş (11 October 1975 – 3 July 1976)
Nejat Konuk (3 July 1976 – 2 March 1978)
Osman Örek (18 April 1978 – 7 January 1979)
Mustafa Çağatay (7 January 1979 – 30 November 1983)
Derviş Eroğlu (18 December 1983 – 11 February 2006)
Hüseyin Özgürgün (11 February 2006 – 16 December 2006)
Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu (16 December 2006 – 29 November 2008)
Derviş Eroğlu (29 November 2008 – 23 April 2010)
İrsen Küçük (9 May 2010 – 11 June 2013)
Hüseyin Özgürgün (31 August 2013 – 30 October 2018)
Ersin Tatar (30 October 2018 – 23 October 2020)
Ersan Saner (20 December 2020 – 31 October 2021)
Faiz Sucuoğlu (31 October 2021 – 1 January 2023)
Ünal Üstel (since 1 January 2023)

References

^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2022). "Northern Cyprus". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^ "Turkish Cypriots vote under shadow of economic crisis". Nicosia. Agence-France Press. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024 – via France24. Opinion polls indicate that the right-wing National Unity Party (UBP), which envisions a two-state solution to the island's division, will do the best in the election for a new parliament, where it holds 21 seats.
^ Morley, Nathan (19 April 2009). "Turkish Cypriots Vote Could Complicate Reunification Talks". Nicosia. Voice of America. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2024 – via VOA News.
^ Varnava, Andrekos; Yakinthou, Christalla (2011). "Cyprus: Political Modernity and the Structures of Democracy in a Divided Island". In Hendriks, Frank; Lidström, Anders; Loughlin, John (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Local and Regional Democracy in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 469. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199562978.003.0020. ISBN 978-0-1915-9471-7. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024 – via Oxford Academic.
^ Gültekin, Bahadır (16 November 2019). "Cyprus talks cannot last forever: Turkish Cypriot PM". Hürriyet Daily News. Istanbul. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^ "Welcome to our new member parties". ACRE Europe. 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^ Morley, Nathan (30 April 2009). "Cyprus Peace Talks Face Dual Threat". Nicosia. Voice of America. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2024 – via VOA News.
^ "KKTC'de Kalyoncu başbakanlığındaki yeni koalisyon hükümetine onay" [Approval for the new coalition government led by Kalyoncu prime minister in TRNC]. NTV (in Turkish). 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^ Tarihi, Yayın (1 November 2021). "UBP'nin yeni Genel Başkanı Faiz Sucuoğlu oldu" [Faiz Sucuoğlu became the new Chairman of UBP]. Kıbrıs Postası (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.