Opposition candidate Tufan Erhurman won the presidential election in Turkish-occupied north Cyprus on Sunday, defeating Ankara-backed incumbent Ersin Tatar and boosting stalled efforts to end half a century of division.
Nominated by the centre-left Republican Turkish Party, Mr Erhurman won nearly 63 per cent of the vote. Turnout was high at 65 per cent of 218,000 registered voters, dealing a decisive blow to Mr Tartar’s demand for a two-state solution despite international rejection.
“There are no losers in this election. We, the Turkish Cypriot people, have won together,” Mr Erhurman said when the results were declared. He pledged to “exercise my responsibilities, particularly in matters of foreign policy, in consultation with the Republic of Turkiye. Let no one worry.”
A Nicosia-born lawyer who graduated from the University of Ankara, Mr Erhurman has said he will resume negotiations with the Greek Cypriots with the aim of reunifying Cyprus in a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
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As a former prime minister (2018-2019) and a participant in negotiations in 2008 and 2010, he is well versed in previous efforts to reunite Cyprus.
His victory has been welcomed by Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides, who declared his readiness to resume negotiations “from the point where they were interrupted in 2017 and under the auspices of United Nations chief António Guterres”.
Despite the loss of his ally, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Mr Erhurman on social media. He said Turkey would “continue to defend the rights and sovereign interests” of the north.
Turkey is in a strong position to honour this commitment as it maintains a force of 35,000 troops in north Cyprus.
Turkey occupied the northern 36 per cent of the island in 1974 following a failed coup against the then president, Makarios. The insurrection was mounted by an Athens military junta that sought to unite Cyprus with Greece.
In 1983, the north was unilaterally proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised only by Ankara and is isolated and sanctioned by the international community.
When Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, the north was considered an area of the republic outside the government’s control, but Turkish Cypriots were granted EU-Cyprus passports.
Turkish Cypriots have chosen the resumption of negotiations to escape Ankara’s heavy influence. It finances the breakaway north and dictates its policies and practices.
An estimated 115,000-160,000 mainland Turks have settled among the 160,200 Turkish Cypriots. Secular Turkish Cypriots oppose the conservative Mr Erdogan, who has built mosques and attempted to Islamise the society.
Legislation allowing headscarves to be worn by girls in state schools was declared unconstitutional by the supreme court after popular protests.
Many Turkish Cypriots commute daily to jobs in the republic, which has a much stronger economy.
Mismanagement and corruption were big issues during the election campaign.
