Cyprus election upset: Erhürman wins rejecting two-state solution

Opposition candidate Tufan Erhürman easily prevailed in the elections in the occupied territories, as Ersin Tatar, the incumbent president and supporter of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was decisively defeated. The results leave no doubt, as the winner secured 62.76% of the votes, compared to 35.81% for the defeated candidate. With 48.19% turnout, the choice seems clear, as Tatar supported the two-state solution, while his moderate opponent advocates for establishing a federal state that would help Turkish Cypriots escape poverty and near-unbearable conditions.

Read: Critical elections for Cyprus in the pseudo-state – Erdoğan’s chosen candidate Ersin Tatar threatened by moderate Tufan Erhürman

Celebrations began at Erhürman’s office shortly before the final results, with supporters and staff chanting slogans. This outcome also represents a blow to Erdoğan, who had supported Tatar.

Cyprus: Congratulations from Nikos Christodoulides

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides expressed his congratulations to Tufan Erhürman and emphasized his hope for a meeting “as soon as possible”: “I express my congratulations to the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Tufan Erhürman, with respect for the verdict of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots based on the voting results in our occupied areas, and I look forward to meeting with him as soon as possible.

I reiterate my readiness, steady political will and determination to continue contributing to efforts for resuming substantive negotiations for resolving the Cyprus issue, from where they left off at Crans-Montana, within the framework of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ declared commitment.

In this direction, the upcoming informal, expanded meeting announced by the Secretary-General represents a critical opportunity for restarting the process. The Cyprus solution must be based on United Nations resolutions, Security Council decisions, and the principles and values of the European Union, of which the Republic of Cyprus is and will continue to be a member state”.

Annita Dimitriou’s statement

Cyprus Parliament President Annita Dimitriou also congratulated the election winner in the occupied territories with her post. Specifically, she wrote: “Congratulations to Tufan Erhürman @tufanerhurman for his victory. We hope his emergence as leader of the Turkish Cypriot community will pave the way for substantive negotiations for a Cyprus solution within the agreed framework”.