The north’s ‘parliamentary’ legal affairs committee on Monday discussed a draft resolution demanding a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem.

The draft resolution was signed by various members of the ruling coalition’s largest party, the UBP, as well as fellow ruling coalition party YDP leader Erhan Arikli, and independent ‘MP’ Hasan Tosunoglu.

According to journalist Ulas Baris, of news website Kibris Postasi, the resolution was voted upon twice in the committee, with its outcome twice being that three members voted in its favour and two voted against.

The three votes in the resolution’s favour were committee chairwoman Yasemi Ozturk, Hasan Kucuk, and Hasan Tacoy, all of the UBP, while deputy chairman Ongun Talat, son of former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, and Urun Solyali both voted against it.

A third vote is set to happen at the committee’s next meeting on Wednesday.

The draft resolution has garnered criticism from the opposition, with opposition-backed Turkish Cypriot leadership election candidate Tufan Erhurman lamenting that “a serious issue like the Cyprus problem is being handled so frivolously out of fear of losing the election”.

“It is clearly being done for electoral purposes,” he told newspaper Yeniduzen, adding that “there is nothing in the draft resolution’s text to explain what they mean”.

“So, when you say ‘two states’, does ‘sovereign equality and international status’ equal two states? Does the ‘3D’ formula – direct flights, direct contact, direct trade – equal sovereign equality? Does the two-state formula mean I will not sit at the negotiating table without the TRNC being recognised?” he asked.

Then asked himself whether, if the resolution passes, it will cause problems for him if he is elected as Turkish Cypriot leader on October 19, he said “I read the text, I did not see any aspect of it which would preclude two equal constituent states” in a federal Cyprus.

“However, it would be saddening for parliament to make such a decision, because as a rule, decisions regarding the Cyprus problem in this country have always been made unanimously,” he said.

He then added that he was also saddened “to see the extent to which this frivolity is reached” on the part of the ruling coalition, which has endorsed incumbent Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s campaign for re-election and his position in favour of a two-state solution.

“It saddens me that this country’s most important issue is being handled this way for election purposes. It saddens me that parliament is behaving in this way, when unanimity should be sought,” he said.

The Turkish Cypriots have twice before passed unanimous resolutions through their legislature regarding the Cyprus problem, both of which expressed support for a federal solution.