Ersin Tatar Elected

The 2020 Turkish Cypriot presidential election was a contest between two very different visions. The incumbent, Mustafa Akıncı, had spent five years negotiating with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades towards a bizonal, bicommunal federation under UN auspices, and those talks had been stuck since Crans-Montana in 2017. His main challenger was the prime minister, Ersin Tatar of the National Unity Party (UBP), who favoured closer ties with Turkey and separate sovereign administrations for the two sides of the island.

Days before the first round, on 6 October, Tatar appeared beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara to announce the reopening of part of Varosha. Erdoğan backed Tatar openly during the campaign, and Tatar’s opponents described this as interference in the election.

In the first round on 11 October, turnout was low and no candidate won a majority. Tatar led with about 32.5 per cent to Akıncı’s 29.8 per cent. In the runoff a week later, on 18 October, Tatar won with 51.7 per cent against 48.3 per cent for Akıncı. In his victory speech Tatar said Turkish Cypriots deserved sovereignty and thanked Erdoğan. Akıncı conceded but said the election had not been held under normal conditions.

Tatar’s victory changed the terms of the debate. In April 2021, at an informal UN meeting in Geneva, his delegation said efforts to reach a federation had been exhausted and proposed a settlement based on two states with sovereign equality, a position Turkey shared. The Greek Cypriot side wanted talks to resume from Crans-Montana on a federal basis. For the next five years the two sides met in informal settings, and some practical steps were agreed, but formal negotiations did not resume.

Tatar served one term. In October 2025 he lost his bid for a second to Tufan Erhürman, who favours a return to UN talks.