Tufan Erhürman: Difference between revisions

President of Northern Cyprus

Tufan Erhürman (born 11 September 1970) is a Northern Cypriot academic, lawyer, diplomat, and politician who has been President since 2025. A scholar in public law by profession, he served in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute between 2008 and 2010. He previously worked for the Ministry of Justice of Turkey between 1999 and 2004 and worked for the establishment of the position of ombudsman in Turkey. He is the current leader of Republican Turkish Party. He held the office of Prime Minister beginning January 2018 as the leader of a four-party coalition.^[1] The coalition government resigned on 9 May 2019,^[2] with Erhürman continuing as Prime Minister until the office was taken over by Ersin Tatar on 22 May 2019.^[3] He was elected president of Northern Cyprus in a landslide in the 2025 Northern Cypriot presidential election.^[4]

Education

Erhürman finished his secondary education in Türk Maarif Koleji. He was then enrolled to study law at Ankara University in 1988. He received his master’s degree and doctorate from Ankara University as well. His 2001 PhD thesis was on the “Non-Juridical Inspection of the Authority and the Ombdusman”.^[5]

Academic career

Erhürman lectured on public law at the Ankara University, Middle East Technical University and Hacettepe University between 1995 and 2001. He then lectured at the Eastern Mediterranean University from 2001 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2013. Erhürman also lectured at the Near East University between the years of 2006 and 2008.^[6]

Political career

Erhürman became involved in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute under President Mehmet Ali Talat between 2008 and 2010.

He ran for a Nicosia seat at the Assembly of the Republic in the 2013 elections and became a Member of Parliament as a candidate of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces.^[7] He worked extensively to change the constitution where 23 changes were agreed by all 4 parties which were being represented in the parliament at that time.^[8] However, 62.3% of the voters rejected the new constitution in the 2014 referendum. He became the Secretary General of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces.^[9]

On 13 November 2016, Erhürman became the leader of the Republican Turkish Party and thus of the main opposition.^[10]

He was reelected as a Member of the Parliament during the 2018 snap elections, however he could not prevent his party from losing 9 seats. On 19 January 2018, negotiations started to form a coalition between 4 parties, the Republican Turkish Party, the People’s Party, the Democratic Party and the Communal Democracy Party,^[11] ultimately succeeding in the formation of the Erhürman cabinet.

On 19 October 2025, Erhürman defeated incumbent president Ersin Tatar in the 2025 Northern Cypriot presidential election, winning 62.76% of the vote.^[12]

Political positions

Erhürman has stated his support for the reunification of Cyprus under a federal model.^[12] However he has also stated that he would not go down such a route without the approval of the government of Turkey.

Electoral history

2025 Northern Cypriot presidential election

2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election

References

External links