Tufan Erhurman emerges as winner in Cyprus presidential election, secures 62.76% of vote share.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) held its leadership election on Sunday, with over 218,000 people casting their ballots for the country's future direction. The opposition candidate Tufan Erhurman, chairman of the centre-left Republican Turkish Party (CTP), decisively won the presidency by securing 62.76 percent of the vote share.
Ersin Tatar, the incumbent president and a proponent of the two-state solution, garnered 35.81 percent of the votes. Tatar, who was supported by the Turkish government, will now step down from office after serving for nearly eight years.
In his victory speech, Erhurman emphasized unity among the Turkish Cypriot people, saying, "There are no losers in this election. We, the Turkish Cypriot people, have won together." He expressed his intention to restart negotiations with Greek Cypriots aimed at a federal reunification of the island.
Erhurman's victory is seen as a significant shift towards a more inclusive approach for Northern Cyprus. The 55-year-old lawyer and former prime minister has previously participated in talks with Greek Cypriot leaders under the former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat between 2008 and 2010.
Northern Cyprus, which occupies less than a third of the Mediterranean island, is only recognized by Turkey. Ankara maintains over 35,000 peacekeepers in the region.
The outcome has been welcomed by Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who congratulated Erhurman on his victory and reaffirmed his commitment to resuming negotiations with Turkish Cypriot leaders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also extended congratulations to Erhurman, stating that Turkey would continue to defend the rights and sovereign interests of Northern Cyprus.
The election marks a significant turning point in the division of the island, which has been a longstanding issue between Greece and Turkey.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) held its leadership election on Sunday, with over 218,000 people casting their ballots for the country's future direction. The opposition candidate Tufan Erhurman, chairman of the centre-left Republican Turkish Party (CTP), decisively won the presidency by securing 62.76 percent of the vote share.
Ersin Tatar, the incumbent president and a proponent of the two-state solution, garnered 35.81 percent of the votes. Tatar, who was supported by the Turkish government, will now step down from office after serving for nearly eight years.
In his victory speech, Erhurman emphasized unity among the Turkish Cypriot people, saying, "There are no losers in this election. We, the Turkish Cypriot people, have won together." He expressed his intention to restart negotiations with Greek Cypriots aimed at a federal reunification of the island.
Erhurman's victory is seen as a significant shift towards a more inclusive approach for Northern Cyprus. The 55-year-old lawyer and former prime minister has previously participated in talks with Greek Cypriot leaders under the former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat between 2008 and 2010.
Northern Cyprus, which occupies less than a third of the Mediterranean island, is only recognized by Turkey. Ankara maintains over 35,000 peacekeepers in the region.
The outcome has been welcomed by Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who congratulated Erhurman on his victory and reaffirmed his commitment to resuming negotiations with Turkish Cypriot leaders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also extended congratulations to Erhurman, stating that Turkey would continue to defend the rights and sovereign interests of Northern Cyprus.
The election marks a significant turning point in the division of the island, which has been a longstanding issue between Greece and Turkey.
! 62.76% is insane 
he's gonna make some major changes in Cyprus ASAP 
his message of unity is so needed after years of conflict. I'm loving the fact that he's all about restart negotiations with Greek Cypriots - fingers crossed for a federal reunification 
. Turkish President Erdogan is cool with it too, which is a big plus 
Ankara having 35k peacekeepers in the region needs to be rethought tho... can't we just talk things out? 
anyway, congrats to Tufan Erhurman on his victory! 
but gotta wonder how gonna handle the turkey-cyprus relation ship... Ankara is keeping 35k peacekeepers in northern cyprus, thats a big deal 
and now theres talks of federal reunification which could be game changer for the island 
And then you got Turkey's involvement, which is like, a whole other can of worms 
. I mean, Erdogan's always talking about the rights and interests of Northern Cyprus, but what does that really mean for the EU's own stance on the issue? Shouldn't they be all about democracy and human rights too? 
It's like, are we seeing a glimmer of hope for a more inclusive approach in Cyprus, or is this just a case of one country trying to impose its will on another? 
, guess he was too busy trying to control everything to make friends on the island 
. Anyway, congrats to Tufan Erhurman for being a uniter and all that jazz 
. I mean, it's about time someone came along who wasn't allergic to negotiating with Greek Cypriots 
. Northern Cyprus needs some fresh air, literally – 35,000 peacekeepers are like, a lot of dudes in uniform carrying guns 
. Anyhoo, this new guy Erhurman seems like the real deal, all about federal reunification and whatnot 
I mean, Tufan Erhurman's win is gonna shake things up for sure! 
And it's so cool that Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides is down to talk again after all these years. 
Let's see what happens next, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this! 
. And let's not forget about the 35k peacekeepers - Ankara's gotta keep a finger in the pie, right? 
thinkin about this election outcome... it's like the whole island is finally gettin' a chance to come together 
. also, it's awesome to see the Turkish president supportin' Erhurman, instead of tryin' to undermine him 
. this is all about findin' common ground & workin' together for a better future 
.
. But maybe this is an opportunity for change? Maybe Erhurman can bring people together and help find a solution that works for everyone? It's like... what if we approached problems with empathy and understanding instead of just looking at the other side as the enemy? 
the fact that Tufan Erhurman won the presidential election with such a big margin is super interesting! I mean 62.76% is like a landslide victory 