Harmancı: Debt Reduced from 80% to 1% During Term as Nicosia Mayor

Speaking on Kıbrıs Postası TV’s Gündem programme hosted by Ulaş Barış, Harmancı also outlined projects including sewer and asphalt works, the Gönyeli–Nicosia bicycle path, pedestrianisation of İplik Pazarı, and a multi-storey car park in the walled city.

Evaluating the municipality’s finances, Harmancı said that when he assumed office, 80% of the budget was bank debt. Today, the municipality has a budget of 3 billion TL, with only 30 million TL owed to banks — approximately 1% of the total.

Reflecting on the financial state he inherited, Harmancı said similar problems still exist in some cooperative institutions, warning that a lack of merit-based appointments damages organisations. He noted that extraordinary crises such as the pandemic could pose serious risks, but that Nicosia Turkish Municipality weathered the crisis thanks to its improved financial structure. He stressed that merit must be the foundation for institutional sustainability.

Harmancı said investments in asphalt and sewage are ongoing, and that plans are in place for a bicycle and pedestrian path from Gönyeli to Nicosia. Once completed, it will allow residents to commute from Gönyeli to workplaces in Nicosia without entering traffic.

On the pedestrianisation of İplik Pazarı, Harmancı said the municipality had gone to tender for the fourth time. If this latest round also fails, the project will be completed with municipal resources by the end of the year.

Discussing projects in the walled city, Harmancı said solving the parking problem would require cooperation with Evkaf. He noted that the municipality currently pays £1,000 in rent to Evkaf for the Bandabuliya car park, which is located on land with building permits. The aim is to solve the problem with a multi-storey car park and square project, as well as an underground car park in Arabahmet.