The opposition candidate in the occupied north, Tufan Erhuman, won a landslide victory in the first round of the presidential election, with the outgoing Turkish Cypriot leader, who is supported by the president of Turkey, suffering a heavy defeat.
As announced by the Supreme Electoral Council of the pseudo-state, Erhuman secured 62.76% of the votes, compared to Tatar’s 35.81.
Congratulations to Tufan Erhürman on his election as President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
We extend our gratitude to Ersin Tatar for his leadership and dedication over the past five years.
We hope this election marks a new chapter of progress, unity, and…
— Y.T.C (@Young_Turk_Cyp)
The final percentage of participation in today’s “elections” reached 64.87%.
With the announcement of the results, supporters of Erhiurman started celebrating at the headquarters of the Republican Turkish Party (RTK), while at 21:30 his victory speech and a gathering of his supporters in occupied Nicosia are scheduled.
Erhuman’s supporters celebrate after his election as president of the pseudo-state (REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou)
Erhuman’s first statements after the victory – What he said about Erdogan
According to the Cypriot Philenews, in his first statement, the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots thanked those who participated in the “election” process, regardless of their “vote”.
“Our people must know this: There is no loser in this election. As a Turkish Cypriot people, we all won together,” he said. “We said we will march together, win together and rule together. We kept our first two promises. We will keep our third promise all together,” he added.
Mr. Erhiurman thanked the officials of the RTK, his partners from the Community Democratic Party (KKD), the independent “MPs” who supported him, as well as Serdar Denktash personally. He noted, in fact, that he received “votes” from supporters of other parties, interpreting the result as an order for wider consensus.
Committed to impartiality, he symbolically announced his departure from the leadership of his party. “As of this moment, I am no longer the President of the Republican Turkish Party. I give my word that I will be the president of all my citizens with absolute impartiality,” he said.
In closing, he invited all Turkish Cypriots to a joint celebration “to celebrate our brotherhood all together”. With regard to relations with Turkey, he assured that he will carry out his duties, especially in foreign policy, in close consultation with Ankara, essentially giving a clear indication of his intentions that his movements will result from consultation with Turkey.
This was also confirmed by the newly elected president of the pseudo-state in his statements to the Anadolu agency, in which he made it clear that “the determination of foreign policy in Cyprus, without consultation with Turkey, will never be questioned during my term of office […] The very good relations with the Republic of Turkey will continue to develop further and I see this as a mission […] I express my heartfelt greetings and respect to all the Turkish people in the Republic of Turkey.”
Ankara congratulates and gives a line for the “realities on the island”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Tufan Erhuman on his election.
“As Turkey, we will continue to defend the rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, alongside our Turkish Cypriot brothers, on all fronts”the Turkish president wrote in a post on X.
In its own post, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states:
“The presidential elections held today (October 19) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) were completed without any surprises.
We congratulate Mr. Tufan Erhurman, Chairman of the Republican Turkish Party, who won the election, according to unofficial results.
We hope that these elections, which reflect not only the free and sovereign will of the Turkish Cypriots, but also the state tradition and democratic culture in the TRNC, will be auspicious for the Turkish Cypriot people and the entire island.
Motherland and Guarantor Turkey will continue to contribute to efforts aimed at the peace, prosperity and development of the Turkish Cypriot people, in accordance with its historical, legal and humanitarian responsibilities and in a manner consistent with the realities of the island.”
Resumption of substantive negotiations “from the point where they were interrupted in Crans-Montana”
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, expressed his expectation for a meeting as soon as possible with the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Tufan Erhuman, in his congratulatory message, after the announcement of the results of the vote in the occupied territories.
In his written statement, the President of the Republic congratulated Mr. Erhuman, respecting, as he said, the verdict of the Turkish Cypriots. “I express my congratulations to the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Tufan Erhuman, respecting the verdict of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, based on the result of the vote, in our occupied territories, and I look forward to our meeting as soon as possible,” he said.
At the same time, President Christodoulidis reiterated his firm political will for the resumption of substantive negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue, stressing his determination to contribute to this effort “from the point where they were interrupted at Crans Montana”. He added that this will be done in the context of the stated commitment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.
Referring to upcoming developments, he described the upcoming informal, expanded meeting, announced by the Secretary-General, as “a critical opportunity to restart the process.”
In closing, the President of the Republic underlined the framework on which the solution of the Cyprus problem must be based, which, as he said, is defined by “the resolutions of the United Nations, the decisions of the Security Council and the principles and values of the European Union, of which the Republic of Cyprus is and will continue to be a member state”.
“The Turkish Cypriots have turned their backs on the two-state solution”
The president of the House of Representatives of Cyprus, Annita Dimitriou, in her post on X, states that “the Turkish Cypriots, with their vote, have turned their backs on the two-state solution. Congratulations to Tufan Erhuman for his victory. We hope that his emergence as the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community will pave the way for meaningful negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus issue, within the agreed framework.”
The Turkish Cypriots, with their vote, turned their backs on the two-state solution.
Congratulations to Tufan Erhuman for his victory.
We hope that his emergence as the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community will pave the way for meaningful negotiations for a solution…
— Annita Demetriou (@AnnitaDemetriou)
“Divisions do not fit into the modern turbulent scene”
“A new chapter of hope and expectation” for the reunification of the island on the basis of the decisions of the General Assembly of the UN Security Council” the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs described the emergence of Toufan Erhuman as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots. Giorgos Gerapetritis noted that our country looks forward to the countries working together in the upcoming extended informal meeting and noted that Cyprus should give the universal message of the composition, because as he pointed out, “divisions do not fit into the modern turbulent scene”.
Mr. Gerapetritis’ statement is detailed
“The will of the Turkish Cypriots to highlight Tufan Erhuman as their new leader opens a new chapter of hope and expectation for the reunification of the island based on the decisions of the General Assembly and the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Reunification that will guarantee the peace and prosperity of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots within the European family.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus, made tireless efforts so that the Cyprus issue, after a long period of inactivity, would return to the agenda of the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization and for the informal discussions to be restarted. We look forward to working together on the next step at the upcoming extended informal meeting. Divisions do not fit in today’s turbulent international scene.
Cyprus should give the universal message of composition and unity”.
