A dispute over gender quota requirements has erupted between Tam Party leader Serdar Denktaş and the Supreme Election Council (YSK) ahead of the snap general election scheduled for 6 December 2026 in Northern Cyprus. The YSK disqualified the party's candidate list for the Lapta-Alsancak-Çamlıbel Municipal Council in the Kyrenia District, citing failure to comply with the mandatory 30 percent gender quota.
At a press conference, Denktaş argued that 30 percent of a 14-person list equates to 4.2 candidates, meaning four female candidates should have been sufficient. He claimed the YSK had previously indicated at an information meeting that fractions would be rounded down, and criticised the council for rejecting the list without granting an opportunity to make corrections.
Denktaş also alleged that another political party had fielded only 14 female candidates for the general election despite a minimum requirement of 15, yet faced no penalty. "If you deny us that right but grant it to another party, know that you will have cast a shadow over this election," he said, calling on the YSK to apply rules equally and transparently.
The YSK firmly rejected these claims, describing them as "completely unfounded and baseless." In its written statement, the council explained that under Article 28(1) of Political Parties Law No. 49/2015, at least 30 percent of candidates must be of a different gender. Since 30 percent of 14 equals 4.2, the legal minimum—given the law's use of "at least"—is five candidates of a different gender, not four. The council added that the decision was consistent with its own 2022 precedent.
The YSK also denied Denktaş's claims regarding the other party, stating they were factually incorrect, and reaffirmed that all parties were treated equally throughout the candidate registration process. Denktaş, for his part, confirmed that Tam Party would contest the election with 49 candidates, 19 of whom are women, and vowed to continue the fight against what he called interference targeting his party.
