Every time Tatar speaks, I feel ashamed: Serdar Denktash slams Tatar

Serdar Denktash, son of the late and prominent Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, expressed strong disapproval of current TRNC president Ersin Tatar, saying he feels "ashamed" every time Tatar speaks.

"Every time the president speaks, I feel embarrassed. It’s an insult to Turkish Cypriot history," Denktash said in an interview with Kibris Genc TV.

When asked about his own political plans ahead of the TRNC presidential election scheduled for October, Denktash clarified that while he intends to form a political party, he has not yet confirmed whether he will be a candidate.

He emphasized that he does not wish to divide the right-wing vote. "I will not split the vote, but I will never vote for Tatar. It’s interesting that those urging me not to run are worried about splitting the vote. I’ve seen a poll showing that if I don’t run, [CTP candidate] Tufan Erhurman gains a nine-point advantage," he said.

Denktash’s remarks come as the election season intensifies. Tatar officially launched his re-election campaign on Monday evening, with the backing of all three ruling coalition parties: the National Unity Party (UBP), the Democratic Party (DP)—which Denktash once led—and the Rebirth Party (YDP).

During his campaign launch, Tatar urged Turkish Cypriots to rally around shared national goals. “Many forces are working against us, but we will preserve our unity and solidarity. We’ll overcome our differences and face the process ahead together,” he said. “The Turkish Cypriot people will never be left without a state or a republic. We will continue this honourable struggle together.”

Tufan Erhurman, leader of the main opposition party CTP, was announced as his party’s candidate in April. This will be his second bid for the presidency, following his 2020 campaign in which he finished third with 21.7% of the vote before endorsing then-incumbent Mustafa Akinci in the runoff.

Polls have shown a tight race between Tatar and Erhurman. A recent survey by Turkish research firm Genar, released last month, placed Tatar slightly ahead with 37.9%, while Erhurman followed closely with 36%.

If Tatar is re-elected, he would become the first TRNC president to secure consecutive terms since Rauf Denktash in 2000, when his opponent Dervish Eroglu withdrew from the second round. Since then, each leader has served only one term: Denktash was succeeded by Mehmet Ali Talat in 2005, who was defeated by Eroglu in 2010, followed by Mustafa Akinci in 2015, and Tatar in 2020.