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The elected President advocates a unified Cyprus under United Nations supervision to establish a federated bi-communal republic with the Greek Cypriots

Nicosia, Oct. 19.– Casting his vote earlier, Tufan Erhürman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), said, "This election is about our children. That’s the consciousness we’ve acted with. The decision made here will impact our future." He secured a decisive victory in the presidential elections of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), by a wide margin according to preliminary results announced by the Supreme Election Board.

Voter turnout stood at 62.83% in the election, which featured seven candidates, including five independents.  As of 7:40 p.m. local time (GMT+3), results from 753 of the 777 ballot boxes had been counted. Erhürman achieved 62.80% of the vote, while incumbent President Ersin Tatar, who ran as an independent candidate, garnered 35.77%. The remaining votes were distributed among five other candidates, including independents. Voter turnout stood at 62.83%.

Under Northern Cyprus’s electoral system, a candidate who obtains 50% plus one vote in the first round is declared the winner, meaning Erhürman’s victory is secured without the need for a runoff.

The election has been widely seen as a referendum on the future of the Cyprus issue, dividing voters between two distinct political visions. Erhürman, a constitutional law professor and former prime minister, advocates for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal solution under United Nations parameters.

Southern Cypriot leader congratulates Erhürman

Nikos Christodoulides, the president of the Republic of Cyprus, congratulated Tufan Erhürman on his electoral victory. In a written statement from the presidency, Christodoulides expressed his wish to “meet as soon as possible.”

Christodoulides emphasized his continued commitment to “working decisively for a just, lasting solution to the Cyprus issue based on European principles," according to a report by the Bugün Kıbrıs newspaper.

The 1974 partition

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) is recognized only by Turkey. Its foundation followed a series of events triggered by a 1974 coup in Cyprus that aimed to unite the island with Greece, known as enosis. In response, Turkey launched a military operation invoking its guarantor rights and invaded the northern area of the Island.

Turkey has kept its military presence on the island since the 1974 operation, even after the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983.