Opposition candidate Tufan Erhurman has won the presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), decisively defeating incumbent Ersin Tatar, according to the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Council.
Erhurman, leader of the centre-left Republican Turkish Party (CTP), secured 62.76 percent of the vote, while Tatar received 35.81 percent in Sunday’s poll.
“There are no losers in this election. We, the Turkish Cypriot people, have won together,” Erhurman said after the results were announced. He pledged to work closely with Türkiye on foreign policy matters, assuring that “no one should worry,” in reference to Ankara’s longstanding involvement in Northern Cyprus.
Erhurman, 55, a lawyer from Nicosia educated at the University of Ankara, previously served as TRNC Prime Minister from 2018 to 2019 and participated in reunification talks between 2008 and 2010. He has vowed to restart negotiations with Greek Cypriots aimed at a federal reunification of the divided island.
His rival, Ersin Tatar, 65, backed by the Turkish government, has long advocated for a two-state solution, maintaining that the north and south of Cyprus should exist as separate sovereign entities.
Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Türkiye, occupies less than a third of the island, where more than 35,000 Turkish peacekeepers remain stationed. Cyprus was divided in 1974 after a Greek-backed coup prompted Türkiye’s military intervention to protect the Turkish Cypriot community.
Following Erhurman’s victory, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides congratulated him, expressing readiness to resume peace talks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also extended his congratulations, affirming that Türkiye would “continue to defend the rights and sovereign interests” of Northern Cyprus.
