“Independence Path” calls for TRNC law to enshrine Maronites’ right to elect their village headmen

The “Independence Path” (Bağımsızlık Yolu) organisation has called for legislation in the TRNC to enshrine the right of the Maronite community to elect its own village headmen — mukhtars — and members of village councils. This practice has existed in Northern Cyprus for more than twenty years, but it has no legal basis.

The Maronites are one of Cyprus’s recognised religious communities. In Northern Cyprus, their largest village is Koruçam; the community was allowed to elect its own village headmen in 2005.

As the organisation points out, the procedure is still based on the administrative discretion of the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs: it is this ministry that decides who may stand in the elections. In 2022, the candidacy of Maria Skoullou was rejected without explanation — and the organisation cites this case as evidence that, without a law, the right remains conditional.

“Independence Path” is calling for the rules governing the nomination of candidates and the conduct of elections to be set out in a clear legal provision — one that can be scrutinised and under which decisions can be appealed.

The criticism is directed at both major parties. The Republican Turkish Party (CTP), under which the practice began in 2005, has still not established a legislative basis for it, while the National Unity Party (UBP), according to the organisation, still does not recognise this right as fundamental. The statement was issued ahead of the local elections.