Pro-reunification candidate Tufan Erhurman was elected Turkish Cypriot leader over the weekend, unseating pro-two-state solution incumbent Ersin Tatar and winning a record number of votes in an unprecedented landslide victory.
Erhurman, who is the leader of centre-left party the CTP – a position from which he will be required to resign in the coming days, will formally take up the role of Turkish Cypriot leader later this week, having won 62.8% of the vote to Tatar’s 35.8%.
After the results were confirmed, he made his way to northern Nicosia’s Kizilbas Park, where he was greeted by a crowd of thousands waiting for him to make a victory speech.
“This election is not an election where some people win and others lose. The Turkish Cypriot people won tonight,” he said in his victory speech in occupied Nicosia. “There are many wonderful things we can do together. When we are together, there is nothing we cannot do.”
Later in his speech, he promised that he will “never give up on this land” and “never give up on the children of this country”.
“I am proud to be the president of and one of the Turkish Cypriot people. I thank you for walking with me and for granting me this honour,” he said.
President Christodoulides looks forward to meeting with Erhuman "as soon as possible"
President Nikos Christodoulides congratulated the new Turkish Cypriot leader and said he looked forward to meeting with Erhuman “as soon as possible”.
In a written statement, President Christodoulides said: "I extend my congratulations to the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Tufan Erhürman, with respect for the verdict of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots based on the election results in our occupied areas, and I look forward to our meeting as soon as possible," he remarked.
He reiterated his steadfast political will for the resumption of substantive negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem. He emphasized his determination to contribute to this effort “from the point where they were interrupted in Crans Montana”. He added that this would be done within the framework of the stated commitment of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.
Referring to upcoming developments, President Christodoulides described the forthcoming informal, expanded meeting announced by the Secretary-General as "a critical opportunity to restart the process”.
