Turkish Cypriots will vote on Sunday to choose a president in an election that pits incumbent Ersin Tatar, who backs a two-state solution for the island and is aligned with Ankara, against main challenger Tufan Erhürman, who says talks with the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in Nicosia should restart.
The vote takes place in the northern third of Cyprus, a region that proclaimed itself as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) in 1983 and is recognized only by Turkey. The island has been split since 1974, when Turkish troops moved in after a coup by Greek nationalists, with the United Nations maintaining a buffer zone between the two sides.
Eight candidates are on the ballot. Tatar runs as an independent with support from parties that favor closer ties to Turkey, while Erhürman is the leader of the Republican Turks Party (CTP). Five other independents and one socialist party candidate round out the field. A candidate needs more than half the valid vote to win, or the top two advance to a runoff one week later, according to KKTC rules.
The KKTC’s top election authority says 218,313 people are registered to vote. Campaigning ends today at 6 p.m. local time.
The race centers on the direction of the Cyprus talks and ties with Ankara. Tatar rejects a return to UN-sponsored federal negotiations with the Greek Cypriot government and promotes a “two sovereign states” line. Erhürman says renewed talks are needed and argues that a two-state push will not lift the north’s political and economic isolation.
Parliament in the north on October 14 adopted a resolution stating support for a two-state solution, a move the opposition criticized as electioneering days before the vote. Ankara welcomed the decision.
Polls have varied in recent weeks. Surveys from the Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies showed Erhürman pulling ahead in late September and early October, while other polling placed Tatar narrowly in front, pointing to a close first round.
The 2020 election exposed tensions over Turkey’s role in the north. Then-incumbent Mustafa Akıncı alleged pressure to withdraw, claims denied by Turkish officials and by Tatar, who won the runoff with 51.74 percent. Those accusations and broader questions about intervention remain part of the political backdrop.
Issues driving voters include the economy, health services, infrastructure and corruption, according to local surveys. Many voters also cite the status of the Cyprus talks as a priority.
If no candidate clears 50 percent on Sunday, voters will return for a runoff on October 26.