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Tufan Erhurman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party, won the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus presidential election, according to unofficial results announced Sunday, defeating incumbent President Ersin Tatar in a decisive first-round victory.
Erhurman secured 62.76% of the vote compared to Tatar's 35.81%, according to results from all 777 polling stations announced by Supreme Election Board Chairman Bertan Özerdağ. With voter turnout at 64.87%, Erhurman received 87,137 votes against Tatar's 49,714.
The result marks a significant political shift for the breakaway territory, which is recognized only by Türkiye. Erhurman's victory came in the first round, surpassing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff in a race that included seven candidates, five of them running as independents.
Among 218,313 registered voters, polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. local time. The election rules required a candidate to secure more than 50% of valid votes to win outright, otherwise the top two vote-getters would advance to a second round within seven days.
In his first statement after the results, Erhurman emphasized unity and pledged to govern impartially. "As of now, I am no longer CTP General Chairman. I promise to be the president of all our citizens with complete impartiality, regardless of which party they belong to," he said at the CTP headquarters.
"We are a whole, our will is a whole," Erhurman said. "Just as we desired, our brotherhood has won. We said we would not be divided, and we were not divided. We united, we came together."
The president-elect announced plans to celebrate with supporters at Kizilbas Park at 9:30 p.m., inviting all citizens regardless of how they voted. "It doesn't matter whether you voted or not. I invite all our people to Kizilbas. Let's celebrate not my victory, but our brotherhood together," he said.
Addressing concerns about the territory's crucial relationship with Türkiye, Erhurman offered clear reassurances. "Every issue in foreign policy will be managed in close consultation with Türkiye," he said. "No one should have the slightest concern about this."
Erhurman pledged to carry out his responsibilities, particularly those related to foreign policy, in close coordination with Türkiye. He emphasized that he did not set out to govern alone and would work on a merit-based system regardless of party affiliation.
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Following the election results, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry issued a statement congratulating Erhurman on his victory. "We congratulate Republican Turkish Party Chairman Mr. Tufan Erhurman, who won the elections according to unofficial results," the ministry said.
The statement praised the election as reflecting "the free and sovereign will of the Turkish Cypriots, as well as the state tradition and democratic culture in the TRNC," and wished the results well for the Turkish Cypriot people and the entire island.
"Motherland and Guarantor Türkiye will continue to contribute to efforts for the peace, prosperity and development of the Turkish Cypriot people within the framework of its historical, legal and humanitarian responsibilities and in accordance with the realities of the island," the ministry added.
Erhurman, 55, was born in Nicosia on Sept. 11, 1970. A lawyer and academic, he graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Law and completed his master's and doctorate at the same institution, specializing in public law with a dissertation on judicial oversight of administration and the ombudsman system.
He played an active role in establishing Türkiye's ombudsman institution and taught at universities including Ankara, METU, Hacettepe, Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. His political career began in 2008 when he joined President Mehmet Ali Talat's negotiation team.
He was elected to parliament from the Republican Turkish Party in 2013, became party chairman in 2016, and served as prime minister in a coalition government formed in 2018. After the government dissolved in 2019, he continued as opposition leader.
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