Erhürman wins in a landslide victory, become north Cyprus 6th president

Pro-reunification candidate Tufan Erhurman was on Sunday elected as the sixth president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, unseating pro-two-state solution incumbent Ersin Tatar, winning a record number of votes in an unprecedented landslide victory.

Erhurman, a 55-year-old law professor who has served in the TRNC parliament since 2013, is the leader of centre-left party, the CTP – a position from which he will be required to resign in the coming days thanks to the TRNC’ strict rules regarding political party affiliation for their leaders.

According to the unofficial results announced by the Supreme Election Board (YSK), Erhürman secured a commanding 62.76% of the vote, while Tatar managed only 35.80%.

The other five candidates — Osman Zorba, Arif Salih Kırdağ, Ahmet Boran, Mehmet Hasgüler, and İbrahim Yazıcı — each received less than 1% of the vote.

Celebrating his decisive win in speech delievered at the CTP’s headquarters, Erhürman thanked all citizens who went to the polls, emphasizing that “there are no losers in this election; as Turkish Cypriots, we all have won.”

Erhürman declared, “I am no longer the leader of CTP — I am now the President of all citizens. Brotherhood has triumphed.” He promised that his presidency would be defined by teamwork and impartiality, pledging to act as “the guardian of equality and freedom.”

The new President called on citizens to join celebrations at Kızılbaş Park at 9:30pm, describing it as “a night to celebrate our unity, not just victory.”

Touching on foreign policy, Erhürman assured the public that “all external affairs will be managed in consultation with Türkiye — there should be no concerns on that front.”

He will formally take up the role of TRNC president later this week and is expected to bring to an end a five-year period in which north Cyprus refused to engage the south in negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem based on the previously agreed-upon federal model.

Erhurman’s election comes at a time of heightened activity on the Cyprus problem, and as such, a busy few weeks await him when he formally takes office.

He promised during the campaign that his first visit upon taking office would be to Ankara to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other high-level Turkish officials – an important move on light of the fact that many in the highest echelons of Turkish politics have spent the last few weeks actively campaigning against him. 

Over his career, he lectured at Ankara University, Hacettepe University, METU, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), and Near East University (NEU).

He served as Dean’s Deputy at EMU, was a member of the negotiation team under former President Mehmet Ali Talat, and became CTP General Secretary and later Chairman.

Between 2018 and 2019, he served as Prime Minister in the four-party coalition government. He is married and has one child.

Ersin Tatar Congratulates Tufan Erhürman on Election Victory

Incumbent and independent candidate Ersin Tatar, congratulated Tufan Erhürman on his victory and said he respected the decision of the voters.

Speaking live on Kıbrıs TV, Tatar reflected on the outcome of the election, emphasizing his commitment to public service over the past five years. “I have worked tirelessly for our country over the last five years. Our achievements are clear to see. It is important to respect the will of the electorate,” he said.

Tatar highlighted his government’s efforts during his presidency, noting that he had prioritized strong relations with the Republic of Turkey and focused on economic growth, infrastructure development, and enhancing the country’s international visibility. “We have left behind valuable projects for our country. We always maintained strong ties with Turkey and worked day and night for our nation’s progress,” he added.

“Internal Party Issues May Have Affected the Outcome”

Tatar, who ran as an independent candidate with the backing of three political parties, acknowledged that internal disagreements within those parties might have contributed to the election result. “I entered the race as an independent supported by three parties. However, it seems that some internal problems and disunity among them may have influenced the outcome,” he said.

“I Will Rest Before Deciding on My Next Steps”

Concluding his remarks, Tatar once again congratulated Tufan Erhürman, who won the election with 61.76% of the vote, according to unofficial results. “I congratulate Mr. Tufan Erhürman and respect the choice of our voters. I hope this result will be beneficial for our country and our people,” he stated.

When asked about his future plans, Tatar said he had not yet made any decisions. “For now, I plan to rest a bit. After that, we’ll see,” he said.

President Erdoğan Congratulates Tufan Erhürman on Election Victory

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has congratulated Tufan Erhürman on his victory, reaffirming Turkey’s continued support for the sovereignty and rights of the Turkish Cypriot people.

In a message shared on his official social media account, President Erdoğan said: “I congratulate Mr. Tufan Erhürman, who, according to unofficial results, has been elected President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in today’s elections. This election once again demonstrated the democratic maturity of the Turkish Cypriot people, who freely expressed their will at the ballot box. I hope the results will be beneficial for our countries and our region. As Turkey, we will continue to defend the sovereignty rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus together with our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters on every platform.”

Election Results and Voter Turnout

According to data released by the Supreme Election Board (YSK), voter turnout reached 64.87%, with 141,615 citizens casting their ballots across 777 polling stations. Of these, 138,839 votes were valid and 2,776 were invalid.

YSK Chairperson Bertan Özerdağ announced that Republican Turkish Party (CTP) candidate Tufan Erhürman secured a clear lead with 61.76% of the vote (82,521 votes). His main rival, independent candidate Ersin Tatar, received 46,915 votes, representing 35.85% of the total.

The remaining candidates received the following vote shares:

-Osman Zorba (Kıbrıs Socialist Party): 0.32%

-Arif Salih Kırdağ (Independent): 0.34%

-Ahmet Boran (Independent): 0.15%

-Mehmet Hasgüler (Independent): 0.23%

-İbrahim Yazıcı (Independent): 0.24%

-Hüseyin Gürlek (Independent): 0.18%

Regional Turnout and Voting Patterns

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Lefke (70.40%), while Girne saw the lowest participation at 63.60%.

Breakdown of voter turnout by district:

-Lefkoşa: 65.30%

-Gazimağusa: 63.85%

-Girne: 63.60%

-Güzelyurt: 66.85%

-İskele: 65.65%

-Lefke: 70.40%

District-level results showed distinct voting trends:

-Lefkoşa: Erhürman 68.88%, Tatar 29.83%

-Gazimağusa: Erhürman 59.47%, Tatar 38.81%

-Girne: Erhürman 63.04%, Tatar 35.86%

-Güzelyurt: Erhürman 62.15%, Tatar 36.18%

-İskele: Erhürman 50.80%, Tatar 47.46%

-Lefke: Erhürman 62.01%, Tatar 36.48%

With all 777 ballot boxes opened and results announced, Tufan Erhürman’s decisive lead positions him as the next President of the TRNC. The Supreme Election Board is expected to officially certify the results following the completion of final verification procedures.