ABSTRACT
In June of 1964 Turkish Cypriots withdrew from participation in the government of the Republic of Cyprus. That same year UN peacekeepers began their mission on Cyprus. In 1975 an autonomous state was established on February 13th following the Greek army coup and the subsequent Turkish military occupation of the north. The National Unity Party (UBP) won the plurality of votes in each election held in the ‘TRNC’ through 1998. The party was formed in 1975 as an outgrowth of the National Solidarity Movement which strived for an independent northern Turkish state in Cyprus. The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) was originally formed in 1970 as a Marxist formation. Until 1993, the UBP enjoyed effective one-party dominance, inasmuch as it either formed single-party governments or was the dominant player in a coalition. After the 1993 election, a series of three shaky coalitions were formed between the Democratic Party and the CTP.
