Turkish Cypriot ‘health minister’ Hakan Dincyurek on Tuesday withdrew the resignation he had tendered on Sunday, declaring that despite previously announcing the opposite, he will, in fact, stand as a candidate for his party, the UBP, in December’s Turkish Cypriot legislative elections.

“Following the discussions, mutual evaluations, and consultations we have held, I would like to share with the public my decisions regarding the roadmap I intend to follow moving forward,” he began.

He added that “just as we have done until now, we will continue on our path, upholding the values in which we believe in and bearing the responsibility entrusted to us by those who have placed their faith in us”.

“Let’s meet at the ballot box on December 6, for the sake of our country, our people, and our party,” he said.

The announcement comes with the deadline for political parties to submit their lists of candidates for December’s elections having passed, with the UBP having published its final list late on Tuesday evening.

‘Parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler had earlier announced that he will be a candidate at December’s election and that “I have no intention of withdrawing”, stressing that “I will continue to fight for the UBP until the very end”, after unconfirmed reports had suggested that party leader and ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel had been urging him to withdraw from the election.

Ozturkler, Dincyurek both secure places on UBP’s final list

Ozturkler and Dincyurek both appeared on the list, though Ozturkler found himself at the bottom of that list in his home constituency of Morphou. He had been among the 17 people who appealed the result of Saturday’s internal party primary elections, prompting Ustel to remark that that result “it is binding whether we get the desired result or not”.

Additionally, it was reported that Ustel had urged fellow incumbent legislature member Emrah Yesilirmak to withdraw from the race, with Saturday’s result having placed Yesilirmak in a similarly precarious position to Ozturkler, after he was not automatically selected in Trikomo.

Yesilirmak, too, appeared on the final list, but, like Ozturkler, found himself bottom of the list in his home constituency of Trikomo.

The stakes of this election may be higher for both Ozturkler and Yesilirmak than for most, given that investigations have been launched into both men in relation to the “fake diploma scandal”, over which Ustel’s longtime close personal associate Fatma Unal was jailed for five years on Tuesday.

Yesilirmak allegedly received a forged degree certificate, while the police in March having launched an investigation into allegations that Ozturkler coerced university officials to award degree certificates to his political allies under false pretences.

However, on this front, sources close to the matter have suggested to the Cyprus Mail that both men may relocate to Turkey so as to avoid arrest, as former ‘prime minister’ Huseyin Ozgurgun did in 2019.

A total of 17 appeals had been filed against the provisional results of the primary election the UBP held to determine its candidates on Saturday. All 17 appeals were rejected.

Only Karanfil, Canaltay, and Hamzaogullari will not return of current crop

With Ozturkler, Dincyurek, and Yesilirmak all having fond their way onto the party’s list, only two incumbent UBP legislature members are confirmed to have missed out on places on the party’s list.

Firtina Karanfil failed to make the party’s list in Lefka, while Resmiye Canaltay, the daughter of former Turkish Cypriot leader Dervish Eroglu, announced earlier on Tuesday that she had withdrawn her candidacy.

As such, just three of the 49 incumbent members of the Turkish Cypriot legislature will not seek reelection, with opposition party the CTP’s Biray Hamzaogullari having retired.

This news comes after two surprises featured on the ruling coalition’s junior partner the DP’s list, with Hasan Tosunoglu, who had left the party in 2024, topping its list in the Nicosia constituency, and Serhat Akpinar, who had in the same year announced that he would not seek re-election, topping the party’s list in the Kyrenia constituency.

Exactly two people who were elected to the legislature at the last election in 2022 are not incumbent members. One, Tufan Erhurman, resigned his seat last year to become Turkish Cypriot leader, and as such will not stand for election again.

The other, HP leader Kudret Ozersay, resigned his seat just three months after the election in protest at the ruling coalition. He tops his party’s list in the Nicosia constituency.

The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved €11.5 million in student allowances for the 2025-2026 academic year, alongside additional measures aimed at easing the financial burden on families.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos said the allocation represented a substantial increase on the €10 million initially budgeted for 2025.

“Today’s decision reflects the Christodoulides government’s firm commitment to targeted measures that reach those who really need them,” he said.

Keravnos also announced a separate allocation of €1.2 million in student benefits for families of Greek students studying in Cyprus and repatriated Cypriot families whose children are studying either on the island or abroad.

He explained that the measure covers families who, because of their residence abroad, do not qualify for the regular student grant scheme, which has a budget exceeding €30 million.

The cabinet also approved changes to the income criteria for student assistance, raising the maximum family income threshold from €39,000 to €44,000 for families with two children.

For larger families, the income threshold starts at €64,000 and increases by €5,000 for each additional child.

Families with more than five children will be exempt from income and property criteria altogether.

“The finance ministry deemed it necessary to adjust the income limits so that the inflationary pressures of recent years do not leave families with real needs out of support,” Keravnos said.

The minister also announced an increase in the student airfare allowance from €300 to €500, citing the continuing energy crisis and rising living costs.

An additional €500 allowance will also be provided to first-year students.

Keravnos said the measures were intended to help families meet the rising costs of education, accommodation, food and travel.

Asked about the reasons behind the adjustments, he pointed to the pressures created by the energy crisis and the wider geopolitical situation, which he said continued to affect students, households and businesses.

“We will continue to ensure that economic growth translates into real support for every family in need, while acting prudently and safeguarding the stability of public finances,” he said.

Interested parties can submit their applications via the relevant electronic platform https://sg-yxe.mof.gov.cy which will be open on a date that is yet to be announced.

To submit an application, parents or guardians are required to have an account with the CY login electronic service which can be created via https://cge.cyprus.gov.cy/cyloginregistration/register.

Greek applicants do not require an account verification.

A proposta combina a observação do fenómeno astronómico com uma visita a Luxor, a partir de Hurghada, e integra a programação do operador turístico para o verão do próximo ano, com partidas de Lisboa e do Porto..

MPs and patients’ associations on Tuesday decried the fact that parents with children suffering from serious ailments have largely been left to their own devices, with some even losing their jobs because of long absences to care for their children.

Representatives of groups as well as lawmakers demanded that the government step up its game, as state support for these families is nowhere near enough.

Extending the duration of parental leave for as long as necessary, increasing allowances, and making advance payments to parents spending time in hospitals abroad with their children, were among the proposals heard.

MPs were particularly frustrated, recalling that the discussion in parliament began a year ago, with the situation for parents remaining unchanged since.

Akel MP Marina Nicolaou said they’ve asked for a special paid leave for parents who have to care for their sick children, as well as safeguards so that a parent cannot be sacked while away from work.

In addition, the state should recognise as insurable, for pension purposes, the time spent by parents at home or at the hospital.

“The state must rise to the occasion,” said Nicolaou.

Diko’s Andreas Apostolou described families with children receiving hospital treatment as “the most vulnerable”.

In turn, he called on the health ministry to provide in advance the allowance for non-medical expenses – such as for accommodation – incurred by parents while overseas.

As it stands, these expenses are reimbursed later, and the reimbursements take time.

A health ministry official said they are considering upfront payments covering part of these non-medical expenses. However, he noted, this might result in overpayments.

The comment drew an angry reaction from Disy MP Demetris Demetriou, who recalled that benefits overpayments had also been made during the Covid pandemic, when individuals and businesses were called on to return money.

“Let’s not act on the logic that 99 per cent of people are trying to rob the state,” he remarked.

Andri Pavlou, an official with the labour ministry, said that extending parental leave is part of a bill now being drafted.

She also noted that the pension reform currently being deliberated on, covers informal carers – often family members – so that the time spent away from work is not deducted from pension benefits.

Emily Groutidou, representing the federation of patients’ associations (Osak) expressed disappointment, noting that authorities’ approach to the issue had not changed.

While staying abroad to be by their children’s side, she noted, parents incur many “hidden costs”.

But the formula still being used to calculate expenses reimbursements is akin to that used for allowances given to civil servants for trips overseas.

“The basis of the thinking is wrong,” she said.

Giorgos Penintaex, of the ‘One dream, one wish’ association supporting parents with children suffering from cancer and leukemia, complained that it takes the state too long to process applications for allowances.

In some instances, he said, allowances are paid one or even two years after the claim is filed.

Parents in need of immediate support are often forced to turn to fundraisers, get bank loans, or seek help from associations.

“We’ve come to substitute the state,” Penintaex said.

The government will retain income criteria for child benefits for families with three or more children, despite calls from MPs and social organisations for their abolition, the House labour committee heard on Tuesday.

Speaking after the meeting, committee chairman and Akel MP Giorgos Koukoumas criticised the government’s refusal to accept proposed amendments to the child benefit bill.

“The government made it clear today that it will not listen to parliament, large families, families with three children, single parents, trade unions or the Commissioner for Children’s Rights,” he said.

Although the bill includes some improvements, Koukoumas argued that it falls far short of meeting the needs of modern families, particularly single-parent households, which he said would see little benefit from the proposed changes.

He also accused President Nikos Christodoulides of failing to honour election pledges to improve support for single parents and abolish income and property criteria for larger families, including those with dependent university students.

According to Koukoumas, the proposed increases in child benefits amount to just €60 annually, or €5 per month per child, for one category of recipients, and €27 annually, or less than €2.50 per month, for another.

Drawing comparisons with other European countries, Koukoumas said Germany provides €255 per month per child without income criteria, Luxembourg offers benefits starting at €300, and Poland provides €185, while the maximum monthly benefit in Cyprus currently stands at €49 and could rise to around €53 or €54.

He also criticised the government’s rejection of a mechanism to automatically adjust income thresholds annually in line with inflation.

Koukoumas said Cyprus spends less than one per cent of its GDP on family and child support, less than half the European average. He cited annual per capita spending of €277 in Cyprus compared with an EU average of €830.

He called for budget surpluses to be redirected towards households struggling with the cost of living rather than being retained by the government.

Meanwhile, Diko MP Andreas Apostolou welcomed the proposed legislation as a step towards extending financial support to several thousand additional families through child benefits and nursery subsidies, but said further improvements were necessary.

“Child benefit is the state’s most targeted policy for supporting families, which are the foundation of a country,” he said, describing family support as a national duty.

Apostolou called for a larger budget and higher income thresholds, particularly as the number of children in a household increases.

He argued that income criteria for large families should either be abolished or raised substantially, while university students should continue to count as dependent children when calculating eligibility.

Apostolou also announced that the social welfare deputy ministry had formally accepted his proposal to allow Cypriot families returning from abroad to apply for child benefits from their first day back in Cyprus.

Apostolou added that Diko, as a party supporting the government, had a particular responsibility to secure further improvements for families and young couples.

He said the party had already included additional proposals to expand the child benefit scheme among its suggested amendments to the 2027 state budget.

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President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday said that both he and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman have agreed to make “no further statements” on matters of substance related to the Cyprus problem ahead of the forthcoming arrival on the island of United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin on the island.

“It was a very good and constructive discussion, which will continue during Holguin’s presence in Cyprus. For this reason, we have agreed not to make further statements regarding specific issues, and we also agreed that no joint statement would be issued,” he said after meeting Erhurman in the morning.

Both leaders had also met the bicommunal technical committees on cultural heritage and on youth, as well as the civil society steering committee, following their one-on-one meeting.

Of those meetings, Christodoulides said that they were “constructive” and that “various views and suggestions were put forward” by committee members.

He added that those suggestions will be discussed by himself and Erhurman going forward.

Holguin expected to arrive on Thursday

Holguin is expected to arrive on the island on Thursday, and will hold meetings with both Erhurman and Christodoulides, before holding a tripartite meeting with both leaders at the end of her stay.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Christodoulides had stressed that his proposal to open and repopulate the fenced-off area of Varosha under the United Nations’ administration and open the port of Famagusta under the European Union’s control is “mutually beneficial”.

“I believe this is a mutually beneficial proposal. It creates a positive situation for both sides and serves as a practical test of whether we are truly committed to moving forward, specifically by taking bold confidence-building measures which also send a strong message to society as a whole,” he said.

Erhurman had said last week that he had rejected the proposal, lamenting that it fell short of an entry into force of the European Union’s direct trade regulation.

“Is this the entry into force of the direct trade regulation? No, it is not the entry into force of the regulation, but since [the port] would be under EU control, direct trade would begin,” he said.

As such, he said, the proposal was unbalanced.

The direct trade regulation is a pending EU regulation which would allow Turkish Cypriot goods, as certified by the Turkish Cypriot chamber of commerce, to be exported directly into Europe via the Green Line, and given preferential treatment inside the European single market as European goods.

It was proposed in July 2004, three months after the rejection of the Annan plan to reunify Cyprus by the Greek Cypriot side in a referendum, and shortly after the Republic of Cyprus’ accession to the EU.

Menelaou had cited progress on crossing points

Previously, Greek Cypriot chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou had said that a dispute over the routing of the planned transit road between Athienou and the Nicosia suburb of Aglandjia “has been overcome”.

He said that the outstanding dispute now remains over the question of whether a planned crossing point to connect Louroujina, the southernmost Turkish Cypriot village, with nearby Lymbia, will open at the same time.

The Turkish Cypriot side’s position is that the road between Athienou and Aglandjia constitutes two crossing points, one in Athienou and one in Aglandjia, and that they are part of a package of four alongside plans for a crossing point in the eastern Nicosia suburb of Mia Milia, and one in Louroujina.

However, the Greek Cypriot side treats the road between Athienou and Aglandjia as one crossing point, counterweighted by the Mia Milia crossing point, and is therefore of the view that the Louroujina crossing point should only be opened if a second transit road, through the Turkish Cypriot Kokkina exclave in the Tillyria region, also be opened.

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