North Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has reshuffled his Cabinet, bringing former premier Faiz Sucuoğlu and veteran politician Hasan Taçoy back into government.
The changes, confirmed in the TRNC Official Gazette on Friday, 11 September, see Sucuoğlu appointed Minister of Public Works and Transport, filling the vacancy created by the dismissal of Erhan Arıklı following last month’s deadly Filo Jet ferry disaster.
In a second and less expected change, Economy and Energy Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu has been removed from office and replaced by Taçoy. Both appointments were approved by TRNC President Tufan Erhürman.
Sucuoğlu is one of the best-known figures in the governing National Unity Party (UBP). He served as UBP leader and TRNC Prime Minister in 2021-22 and has previously headed the Health, Tourism, and Labour and Social Security ministries.
Taçoy is an equally experienced political figure. A UBP MP since the late 1990s, he has previously served as Economy and Energy Minister, as well as holding the Public Works and Transport, Foreign Affairs, and Labour and Social Security portfolios.
Why was Amcaoğlu removed?
Unlike Arıklı's dismissal, which Üstel explicitly said was necessary to remove any doubts over the independence of investigations into the Filo Jet disaster, no official reason has so far been given for Amcaoğlu's removal.
Indeed, there had been little public indication that his position was under immediate threat. As recently as 9 September, Amcaoğlu was announcing that the country's new Product Safety and Metrology Laboratory would open by the end of the month.
The appointment of Taçoy is particularly noteworthy politically. Just two days before entering the Cabinet, he told Kıbrıs Postası that he had not sought a ministerial position and had no expectation of receiving one. He also spoke about the approaching elections and the need for the UBP to overcome the internal disputes which, he said, had damaged the party over the previous three or four years.
Taçoy has himself been a prominent internal critic of Üstel. Earlier this year he called for parts of the UBP's internal congress process to be rerun and for a fresh party congress, arguing that party rules had not been properly followed.
The simultaneous return of Sucuoğlu and Taçoy — two senior UBP figures with significant support within the party — could therefore also be interpreted as an attempt by Üstel to broaden and consolidate the UBP's senior team ahead of the proposed 6 December general election. No such motive has, however, been publicly stated by the Prime Minister.
The reshuffle follows a turbulent fortnight for Üstel's administration. Arıklı's Yeniden Doğuş Partisi (YDP) withdrew from the governing coalition after he was dismissed following the Filo Jet disaster, which occurred shortly after the passenger vessel left Girne for Taşucu on 30 August. The tragedy has claimed 14 lives, with another 14 people still missing.
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