On Friday evening, the northern region's biggest political group, the UBP, during their party conference formally supported Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar for his continued presidency in the upcoming elections scheduled for October.
The party leader, Unal Ustel, organized the party congress at their headquarters located in Sarayonu Square, a prominent area in central northern Nicosia. Following the ratification of Tatar’s endorsement, Ustel stated that over the past four and a half years—since Tatar assumed his position in October 2020—he has shown unwavering commitment to the national cause without hesitating to make sacrifices.
"Today, the key points under discussion are the two equally sovereign nations and our equivalent standing internationally. The relationship between Tatar and the Republic of Turkey, along with his high-level connections, have led us to this point," he stated.
Until his election in October 2020, Tatar was affiliated with the UBP. According to the 'TRNC's' constitution, individuals who win elections for Turkish Cypriot leadership must relinquish their connections to party politics when they assume office. Consequently, he plans to run independently in October.
Even so, during his address upon receiving the party congress’s support, he stated that his heart "remains forever with the UBP."
"When we embarked on this journey, we informed the UBP's grassroots supporters and the public that discussing a federal model was off the table since no progress had been made in the lengthy negotiations, and a fresh approach was necessary," Tatar started.
We have managed to place this issue at the forefront of the global agenda during the past four and a half years.
He stated, "This fresh policy, grounded in sovereign equality and equal standing among nations, has been proclaimed globally by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Henceforth, following our triumph in this election, our nation’s political stance will be fully realized."
For most of this year, Tatar has been swapping the top spot in the polls for the upcoming election with CTP party leader and ex-‘prime minister’ Tufan Erhurman, who leads the opposing party.
Erhurman secured the official backing of the CTP’s party congress on Thursday. The party plans to convene a comprehensive conference on Sunday, where they are anticipated to formally declare him as their candidate.
According to the latest survey conducted by the polling company Rudex and released at the end of February, Erhurman is ahead by five percentage points, with 33 percent support versus Tatar's 28 percent.
The Rudex survey is just the most recent of several polls predicting a contest between two candidates. This election will present Turkish Cypriot voters with a decision: support Tatar, who backs a two-state resolution to the Cyprus issue, or choose Erhurman, an advocate for a federal approach.
If Tatar were to secure another term, he would become the first Turkish Cypriot leader to achieve re-election since Rauf Denktash was elected uncontested in 2000 when his runoff rival, Dervish Eroglu, chose to drop out of the race.
Following that, Denktash chose not to run for re-election and was succeeded by Mehmet Ali Talat in 2005. Then, Talat lost to Eroğlu in 2010, who later fell to Mustafa Akınci in 2015. Finally, Akınci was defeated by Tatar in 2020.
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