Tufan Erhürman, the winner of the so-called "presidential elections" in Turkish-occupiednorth Cyprus
POLITICAL PROFILE: Tufan Erhürman
Tufan Erhürman's landslide victory in the illegal, Turkish-occupied north Cyprus, with 62.76% against Turkey's hand-picked candidate Ersin Tatar's 35.81%, marks a significant political shift for the Turkish Cypriot community – and possibly, a new chapter towards the resolution of the Cyprus Problem.
Who is the Turkish Cypriot politician who achieved this victory against the will of Ankara?
His background
Tufan Erhürman was born in 1970 and is a lawyer, academic and former "prime minister" of the pseudo-state in the northern Occupied Territories.
He studied law at Ankara University, where he completed his doctorate on the institution of the Ombudsman.
He taught public law at universities in Turkey and Cyprus – including the Middle East Technical University, Hacettepe University, Eastern Mediterranean University and Near East University.
From an early age, he was involved in administrative reform and institutional transparency, and he also worked at the Turkish Ministry of Justice (1999-2004), where he contributed to the establishment of the office of the Ombudsman.
His rise in politics
His first foray into politics was his involvement on the negotiating team for the Cyprus Problem (2008-2010) under Mehmet Ali Talat.
In 2013, he was elected as a "deputy" of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), a social democratic party, and took on a role for constitutional revision.
In 2016, he was elected leader of the CTP, while in 2018 he formed a four-party coalition government, serving as "prime minister" until May 2019, when he handed over power to Ersin Tatar.
His October 19 victory message
Although Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political analysts on both sides overwhelmingly consider Erhürman's electoral victory a resounding message of distancing himself from Ankara's hard line "two-state" solution (i.e. the position of both Turkish President Erdogan and the previous Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar), one of his first statements sent mixed signals as he pledged to "closely consult and cooperate with Ankara on the Cyprus Problem."
Nevertheless, during the electoral campaign, he positioned himself as a moderate leader who supports a solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, based on UN resolutions and European Union principles.
In his victory statement, Erhürman called for unity, saying that "there are no losers", thanked parties and independent candidates who supported his campaign and announced that he was resigning from the leadership of the CTP, in order - as he said - "to govern all citizens, regardless of political origin".
Possibility to resume stalled reunification talks to resolve the Cyprus Problem?
Nicosia welcomed the result with cautious optimism.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, congratulated Erhürman and expressed readiness to resume negotiations for reunification, starting from the ones that broke down in Crans-Montana in 2017.
The President of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, stated that “the Turkish Cypriots have turned their backs on the two-state solution”, while the General Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, spoke of a “positive and hopeful message for a federal Cyprus”.
On the other hand, Turkish Presdient Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated the new leader, reiterating that “Turkey will continue to defend the sovereign rights of the TRNC [sic]”.
Identifies as a moderate and pro-European
Beyond the political result, Erhürman's victory highlights the will of many Turkish Cypriots to resist full integration into the standards of the Turkish government.
He has spoken out against Turkey's mass naturalizations, interventions in schools and any attempt to alter the secular character of the Turkish Cypriot community.
His stance is expected to directly influence the next moves of the UN, with special envoy María Angela Holguín Cuéllar preparing a new informal, expanded meeting under the new circumstances.
For the first time after five years of inactivity, the Cyprus Problem seems to be entering a new phase. If Tufan Erhürman manages to balance the expectations of Turkish Cypriot society and the pressures of Ankara, then his electoral victory may prove to be the starting point of a new effort to reunify the island.
Questionable past political positions
Understanding the "political establishment" in Turkish-occupied north Cyprus
The EU categorizes the Turkish-occupied north Cyprus as a "puppet state" of Turkey that is subservient to the Turkish occupation forces. Everything that occurs in the Turkish-occupied north is done with Turkey's approval via its military in the pseudo-state.
Although the Turkish government allows sham "presidential elections" to take place, the "leaders" in occupied north Cyprus are treated by Ankara as regional politicians, no different than the other regional leaders on the Turkish mainland.
The Turkish-occupied north Cyprus can not survive on its own as it is heavily embargoed by the international community. In order to function, Turkey is forced to not only conduct the pseudo-state's international business, but also transfers substantial sums of money on an annual basis to prop up their illegal occupation in Cyprus.
Previous moderate leaders in Turkish-occupied north Cyprus have failed to break away from the grips of Ankara in order to reach an agreement for the reunification of Cyprus due to Turkish government meddling, demands and control.
Tufan Erhürman's landslide victory in the illegal, Turkish-occupied north Cyprus, with 62.76% against Turkey's hand-picked candidate Ersin Tatar's 35.81%, marks a significant political shift for the Turkish Cypriot community – and possibly, a new chapter towards the resolution of the Cyprus Problem.
Who is the Turkish Cypriot politician who achieved this victory against the will of Ankara?
His background
Tufan Erhürman was born in 1970 and is a lawyer, academic and former "prime minister" of the pseudo-state in the northern Occupied Territories.
He studied law at Ankara University, where he completed his doctorate on the institution of the Ombudsman.
He taught public law at universities in Turkey and Cyprus – including the Middle East Technical University, Hacettepe University, Eastern Mediterranean University and Near East University.
From an early age, he was involved in administrative reform and institutional transparency, and he also worked at the Turkish Ministry of Justice (1999-2004), where he contributed to the establishment of the office of the Ombudsman.
His rise in politics
His first foray into politics was his involvement on the negotiating team for the Cyprus Problem (2008-2010) under Mehmet Ali Talat.
In 2013, he was elected as a "deputy" of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), a social democratic party, and took on a role for constitutional revision.
In 2016, he was elected leader of the CTP, while in 2018 he formed a four-party coalition government, serving as "prime minister" until May 2019, when he handed over power to Ersin Tatar.
His October 19 victory message
Although Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political analysts on both sides overwhelmingly consider Erhürman's electoral victory a resounding message of distancing himself from Ankara's hard line "two-state" solution (i.e. the position of both Turkish President Erdogan and the previous Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar), one of his first statements sent mixed signals as he pledged to "closely consult and cooperate with Ankara on the Cyprus Problem."
Nevertheless, during the electoral campaign, he positioned himself as a moderate leader who supports a solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, based on UN resolutions and European Union principles.
In his victory statement, Erhürman called for unity, saying that "there are no losers", thanked parties and independent candidates who supported his campaign and announced that he was resigning from the leadership of the CTP, in order - as he said - "to govern all citizens, regardless of political origin".
Possibility to resume stalled reunification talks to resolve the Cyprus Problem?
Nicosia welcomed the result with cautious optimism.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, congratulated Erhürman and expressed readiness to resume negotiations for reunification, starting from the ones that broke down in Crans-Montana in 2017.
The President of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, stated that “the Turkish Cypriots have turned their backs on the two-state solution”, while the General Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, spoke of a “positive and hopeful message for a federal Cyprus”.
On the other hand, Turkish Presdient Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated the new leader, reiterating that “Turkey will continue to defend the sovereign rights of the TRNC [sic]”.
Identifies as a moderate and pro-European
Beyond the political result, Erhürman's victory highlights the will of many Turkish Cypriots to resist full integration into the standards of the Turkish government.
He has spoken out against Turkey's mass naturalizations, interventions in schools and any attempt to alter the secular character of the Turkish Cypriot community.
His stance is expected to directly influence the next moves of the UN, with special envoy María Angela Holguín Cuéllar preparing a new informal, expanded meeting under the new circumstances.
For the first time after five years of inactivity, the Cyprus Problem seems to be entering a new phase. If Tufan Erhürman manages to balance the expectations of Turkish Cypriot society and the pressures of Ankara, then his electoral victory may prove to be the starting point of a new effort to reunify the island.
Questionable past political positions
- Has referred to two separate "Cypriot" peoples (and, therefore, separate political rights in a hypothetical reunification with separate governments; does not favor a central government);
- Referred to two separate "founding states" that could unite in a federation.
- Has never opposed the issue of guarantor powers;
- Has never stated that he seeks the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation forces, in full or in part;
- Has promoted the idea that the EU should recognize the Turkish-occupied north;
- Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı supported the candidacy of Tufan Erhürman, however, he publicly stated that Erhürman is fully aligned with Ankara.
Understanding the "political establishment" in Turkish-occupied north Cyprus
The EU categorizes the Turkish-occupied north Cyprus as a "puppet state" of Turkey that is subservient to the Turkish occupation forces. Everything that occurs in the Turkish-occupied north is done with Turkey's approval via its military in the pseudo-state.
Although the Turkish government allows sham "presidential elections" to take place, the "leaders" in occupied north Cyprus are treated by Ankara as regional politicians, no different than the other regional leaders on the Turkish mainland.
The Turkish-occupied north Cyprus can not survive on its own as it is heavily embargoed by the international community. In order to function, Turkey is forced to not only conduct the pseudo-state's international business, but also transfers substantial sums of money on an annual basis to prop up their illegal occupation in Cyprus.
Previous moderate leaders in Turkish-occupied north Cyprus have failed to break away from the grips of Ankara in order to reach an agreement for the reunification of Cyprus due to Turkish government meddling, demands and control.
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