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| Ersan Saner |
Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minster’ Ersan Saner, whose National Unity Party (UBP) withdrew from the ‘government’ last week, has had to resign, effective immediately after a compromising ‘pink video’ started doing the rounds on social media on Tuesday evening.
According to CNA, citing Turkish Cypriot media, Saner, who had been planning to continue in politics, also has had to resign his party chairmanship. The UBp is to hold an emergency meeting in the afternoon to appoint a new party leader and replacement ‘prime minister’.
CNA said the video has not been openly circulating on social media but is being widely shared through private accounts.
It was first reported Tuesday night on Twitter by Turkish journalist Erk Adziarer, who also refers to a businessman in the north who allegedly possessed the video, which then allegedly fell into the hands of Turkish mafia boss, Sedat Peker.
Peker, according to CNA, has long been publicising evidence against Turkish minsters and has previously referred to cases involving illegal activities in the north.
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kibris reported on Wednesday that in the wake of the video, Saner decided to withdraw from politics altogether.
It reported that Nazım Çavuşoğlu or Ünal Üstel would act proxy ‘prime minister’ and that the UBP would determine a new road map for early elections.
“The video leaked to social media caused an earthquake both in the party and in the country,” the paper said, adding that it had put Saner under great pressure to resign and to take leave to avoid a crisis.
“Even the people closest to Saner emphasised that his on retaining the chairmanship after the video incident in question would injure the UBP and cause irreversible damage,” it added.
Last week the north’s coalition ‘government’ offered its resignation to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar after it lost its majority in ‘parliament’, as Saner called for an early election.
Saner said the resignation from the ‘government’, formed last year, came after the three-party coalition lost its majority and he said an early election should be held as soon as possible.
The three parties in ‘government’ were the UBP, the Republican Party (DP) and the Renaissance Party (YDP) formed after Tatar ousted Mustafa Akinci in elections last October.
The coalition, with the support of 25 ‘MPs’ lasted 10 months.
Cyprus Mail
