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Tufan Erhurman, a veteran politician from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), has become the sixth “president” of the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, following the ninth election for the position since 1985.
Erhurman, 55, defeated incumbent Ersin Tatar with 62.76% of the vote to Tatar’s 35.81%. Voter turnout was 64.87%, similar to the 2010 second-round election that brought Mustafa Akıncı to power.
The election marks a shift from the long-standing dominance of Rauf Denktaş, who won every presidential contest from 1985 to 2005. Erhurman’s victory also reflects the ongoing political divide between the left-leaning CTP and Tatar’s right-wing National Unity Party.
Who is Tufan Erhurman?
Born in Nicosia on Sept. 11, 1970, Erhurman studied law at Ankara University, earning a doctorate in 2001 on administrative oversight and the ombudsman institution. He has taught law at universities in Turkey and the occupied north, including Eastern Mediterranean University and Near East University.
Erhurman was a member of the negotiation team for Mehmet Ali Talat from 2008 to 2010 and became a CTP parliamentarian in 2013, later serving as the party’s secretary-general and eventually its president in 2016. He also held the post of prime minister in a coalition government from February 2018 to May 2019.
He is married and has one child.
What this means for reunification
Analysts say Erhurman’s election may offer a more conciliatory tone in talks with the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, as he comes from a left-leaning, pro-dialogue party. However, entrenched political divisions in the occupied north, pressure from Ankara, and Tatar’s continued influence could limit progress.
While Erhurman may be more open to negotiations than his predecessor, experts caution that significant breakthroughs in reunification are unlikely in the short term, making the immediate outlook cautiously optimistic but uncertain.
