How All Cypriots Can Run as Candidates from the Same List in European Parliament Elections? The Significance of the Aziz v Cyprus Case (Tr: Avrupa Parlamentosu Seçimlerinde Tüm Kıbrıslılar Nasıl Ayni Listeden Aday Olabiliyorlar? Aziz v Kıbrıs Davası’nın Önemi)

Due to the absence of the Turkish Cypriot community in the Republic of Cyprus, the presidency, various ministries, some seats in the parliament, and significant areas in the judiciary were left vacant. In 1964, after the Turkish Cypriots separated from the Republic of Cyprus, the "Doctrine of Necessity" was enacted under emergency law to fill the void in the constitution and ensure the continuity of the state, as a result of Mustafa Ibrahim's case. Consequently, the Constitutional Court and the High Court were merged under a single umbrella. In short, because the Doctrine of Necessity is still in effect, there is no separate Constitutional Court for the Republic of Cyprus. This is where the Doctrine of Necessity comes into play. Contrary to popular belief, the Doctrine of Necessity even allows for the "stretching" of the 1960 Constitution in modern times. In less than a month, regardless of where they live, all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus will vote together for the European Parliament elections, the only elections where they vote together. So, how can all Cypriots run as candidates on the same election list for the European Parliament elections? Doesn't the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus normally prohibit this? One of the events that enabled and allowed the stretching of the Constitution through the Doctrine of Necessity, which provided for and made possible the aforementioned, was the historic case of Aziz v Cyprus.

Ibrahim Aziz, a Turkish Cypriot who has spent his entire life in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus. However, due to the "ethnic quotas" of the 1960 Constitution, although legally a citizen residing in the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot community did not participate in the administration of the Republic of Cyprus, thus not granting Ibrahim Aziz the right to run as a candidate or vote in elections. Because Article 63 of the Constitution stated:

"...Every Republic citizen who fulfills the residence requirements set forth in the Election Law has the right to be registered as an elector on a Greek Cypriot or Turkish Cypriot electoral list; however, members of the Greek Cypriot Community may only be registered on the Greek Cypriot electoral list and members of the Turkish Cypriot community may only be registered on the Turkish Cypriot electoral list."

In short, the "ethnic quotas" of the 1960 Constitution and the absence of the Turkish Cypriot community in the Republic's administration were limiting Ibrahim Aziz's fundamental rights. In 2001, this matter was brought to the Supreme Court and then to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Following the ECHR's ruling of a violation of human rights, the Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus, in compliance with the ECHR decision, invoked the Doctrine of Necessity to enact new laws to "fill the legal vacuum" that prevented Turkish Cypriots from exercising their relevant rights. Despite being prohibited by the Constitution, following the legal "flexibility" after the ECHR ruling, all Cypriots were able to vote and run as candidates on the same election list. Thus, once again, the importance of law and democracy was highlighted. If it weren't for this outcome, perhaps today we wouldn't have Turkish Cypriot candidates from registered parties in the Republic of Cyprus for the European Parliament...

Our "ethnic identities" won't divide us, but our Cypriot identity will unite us.

(Published in Özgür Gazete on 14.05.2024)

https://ozgurgazetekibris.com/kose-yazarlarimiz/gencler_yaziyor/141717-aziz-vs-kibris-davasinin-onemi.html


***

Turkish:


Kıbrıslıtürk toplumunun Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’ndeki eksikliğinden dolayı cumhurbaşkanlığı vekilliği, çeşitli bakanlıklar, temsilciler meclisindeki bazı koltuklar ve yargıdaki önemli alanlar boş kalıyordu. 1964 yılında, Kıbrsılıtürkler Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nden ayrıldıktan sonra, Anayasa’da oluşan boşluğu tamamlamak ve devletin devamlılığını sağlamak için acil durum hukuku kapsamında, Mustafa İbrahim’in davası sonucunda “Zorunluluk Doktrini” yürürlüğe konuldu. Sonucunda ise Anayasa Mahkemesi ve Yüksek Mahkeme, tek bir çatı altında birleştirildi. Kısacası şu an hala Zorunluluk Doktrini yürürlükte olduğundan, Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nin ayrı bir Anayasa Mahkemesi bulunmamaktadır. İşte bu noktada ise Zorunluluk Doktrini devreye girmektedir. Zorunluluk Doktrini, sanılanın aksine 1960 Anayasası’nın günümüzde  ‘esnetilmesini’ bile sağlıyor. Bir aydan daha kısa bir süre sonra, nerede yaşadığı fark etmeksizin, tüm Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti vatandaşlarının birlikte oy kullandıkları tek seçimler için, Avrupa Parlamentosu seçimleri için oy kullanacağız. Peki, Avrupa Parlamentosu seçimlerinde tüm Kıbrıslılar nasıl birlikte, ayni seçim listesinden aday olarak girebiliyorlar? Normalde Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti Anayasası’na göre mümkün olmaması gerekmiyor mu? Bunu, Zorunluluk Doktrini’ni kullanarak Anayasa’nın esnemesini sağlayan ve mümkün kılan olaylardan biri olan, o tarihi dava, Aziz v Kıbrıs hakkında ne kadar bilgi sahibiyiz?

                İbrahim Aziz, tüm hayatını Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nin özgür bölgelerinde geçirmiş bir Kıbrıslıtürk. Ancak 1960 Anayasası’nın ‘etnik kotaları’ nedeni ile, yasal olarak Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nde ikamet eden bir vatandaş olmasına rağmen, Kıbrıslıtürk toplumu Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti yönetiminde bulunmadığından, İbrahim Aziz’e seçimlerde aday olma ve oy kullanma hakkını sunmuyordu. Çünkü Anayasa’nın 63. Maddesinde şu şekilde belirtilmişti:

                “... Seçim Kanununda gösterilen ikamet şartlarını haiz her Cumhuriyet vatandaşı seçmen olarak Kıbrıslırum veya Kıbrıslıtürk seçim listesinden birine kaydedilmek hakkına sahiptir; ancak, Kıbrıslırum Cemaati üyeleri yalnız Kıbrıslırum seçim listesine ve Kıbrıslıtürk cemaati üyeleri yalnız Kıbrıslıtürk seçim listesine kayıt edilebilirler.”

                Kısacası 1960 Anayasası’nın ‘etnik kotaları’ ve bunun üzerine Kıbrıslıtürk toplumunun Cumhuriyet yönetiminde bulunmaması, İbrahim Aziz’in temel bir hakkını kısıtlıyordu. 2001 yılında bu konu Yüksek Mahkeme’ye ve ardından da Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi’ne (AİHM) taşındı. AİHM’in insan hakları ihlali kararı üzerine de Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti Parlamentosu, AİHM kararına uyarak, Kıbrıslıtürklerin ilgili hakları kullanmasını engelleyen ‘yasal boşluğu doldurmak’ için Zorunluluk Doktrini’ne başvurarak yeni yasa yaptı. Anayasa’ya göre mümkün olmamasına rağmen, AİHM kararından sonra yasal ‘esneme’ üzerine, tüm Kıbrıslılar artık, ‘ayni’ seçim listesinde oy kullanabilmeye ve aday olabilmeye başladı. Böylelikle hukukun ve demokrasinin önemi bir kez daha gözlerimizin önüne serildi. Bu sonuç olmasaydı, belki de bugün Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nde kayıtlı partilerden Avrupa Parlamentosu için Kıbrıslıtürk adaylarımız olmayacaktı...

 ‘Etnik kimliklerimiz’ bizleri ayıramayacak; ama Kıbrıslılığımız bizleri birleştirecek.

(14.05.2024 tarihinde Özgür Gazete'de yayınlanmıştır.)


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