The leader of the opposition in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Tufan Erhürman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), won Sunday’s presidential elections in the Turkish-majority north of Cyprus, opening the door to a possible change of political course on the Mediterranean island. Unlike outgoing President Ersin Tatar, who advocates a two-state formula for Cyprus, Erhürman favours a federal solution, albeit with conditions, which could facilitate negotiations with the Greek Cypriots.
Erhürman, 55, won a resounding victory with 62.76% of the vote, compared to 35.81% for Tatar – the current Turkish Cypriot president – in the 19 October elections, according to Turkish media reports. Data from the electoral board indicates that turnout reached 64.87% of the 218,313 registered voters, who cast their ballots at a total of 777 polling stations. In addition to the two main candidates, five other candidates – four of them independents – also went to the polls.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Erhürman on his victory on the Turkish social network NSosyal, in a message in which he expressed his hope that the results would be beneficial for both countries and the region as a whole. Erdoğan added that “Türkiiye will continue to defend the sovereign rights and interests of the KKTC, together with the Turkish Cypriot people, in all international forums”.
A victory that opens the door to the reunification of Cyprus
The elections in Turkish Cypriot-majority northern Cyprus came at a time of growing debate over the future of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974 following Turkish military intervention in response to a series of persecutions against the Turkish Cypriot minority and a coup d’état seeking the ‘Enosis’, or union of Cyprus with Greece. While both Ankara and the former Tatar government advocated the creation of two sovereign states and international recognition of the north of the island as an independent nation, Erhürman has proposed reviving negotiations for a bicommunal federation, with shared powers and respect for the political equality of Turkish Cypriots.
Indeed, Erhürman’s victory had sparked speculation about possible political tensions between northern Cyprus and Ankara. However, in his first statements after the election victory, the new president stressed that any steps towards the resumption of negotiations on the future of Cyprus would take place as before in full coordination with Ankara. “A decision on Cyprus has never been taken without consultation with Türkiye, and it will not happen under my mandate,” he said in his first post-election interview with the Anatolia news agency. “The foreign policy (of the KKTC) will be conducted in close coordination with Turkey“, he insisted.
Both before the elections and especially during the election campaign, Erhürman has been highly critical of the lack of diplomatic progress during Tatar’s presidential term, claiming that such inaction has alienated Turkish Cypriots from the EU and reduced their international influence. As soon as his victory became official, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides congratulated him and expressed his willingness to meet with the new Turkish Cypriot leader to resume dialogue.
In interviews with Turkish media before the elections, Erhürman has advocated a ‘special federation’ for Cyprus based on a balance of competences and responsibilities between the two communities in six critical areas: security, energy and hydrocarbon exploration, maritime jurisdiction, trade routes and citizenship; on this last point, the new president of Northern Cyprus argues that Cypriot citizenship should be understood as European citizenship, rather than ethnic divisions between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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