The center-right National Unity Party (UBP) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), currently the junior partner in a coalition with the center-left Republican Turkish Party (CTP), announced on Saturday that they will withdraw from the government, after the civil servants' salaries could not be fully paid.
The UBP said in a parliament meeting that the government could no longer fulfill its functions and they could not remain in power under such circumstances.
The party chairman Hüseyin Özgürgün has accordingly said that five ministers from the UBP in the 10-member cabinet will accordingly resign on Monday.
Özgürgün reportedly told private Turkish broadcaster NTV that the failure to pay civil servants' salaries was the last straw to break the camel's back and that withdrawing from the government, which would likely lead to an early election, was the best decision that could be taken in such circumstances.
If the UBP leaves the coalition, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ömer Kalyoncu is expected to resign, and the race would be on to succeed him.
TRNC is in the midst of talks with the Greek Cypriot administration, and hope has run high that a reunification agreement would be reached this year.
The UBP last year formed a coalition government with the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG).
The CTP-BG currently has 20 seats in the Turkish Cypriot parliament, and the UBP has 18.
The Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) has five deputies, the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) has three, and there are four independent deputies.
