Northern Cyprus unions announce indefinite protests and demand early elections

Burak Maviş, General Secretary of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Trade Union (KTÖS), stated that the current crisis in the country is linked not only to the rising cost of living but also to serious problems in state governance.

According to him, thousands of people — teachers, parents, workers, and representatives from other sectors — took to the streets and reached the parliament building for the second time, overcoming police barricades. "The parliament belongs to the people. It is the government that places barriers between the people and the parliament," he noted.

Maviş emphasized that while protesters could have entered the parliament building, they consciously chose not to. However, he warned that if the situation does not change, the protests could become even larger in scale.

Unions state they are not negotiating with the government and put forward a single demand: the setting of a date for early elections so that the people can decide the country's future.

It is also reported that the unions plan to continue pressuring the authorities. Indefinite strikes and new forms of protest are possible, and if a controversial law is passed, the struggle will continue in the courts.

The situation regarding schools remains uncertain: unions will decide later whether educational institutions will operate after internal consultations.