Tufan Erhürman scored a landslide victory, unseating hard-line incumbent Ersin Tatar, who was considered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s favorite.
According to official results, Erhürman secured 62.8 percent of the vote in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey, while incumbent Tatar won 35.8 percent.
Tatar mirrored Turkey’s views and was in favor of a two-state solution. During his five-year tenure, the Turkish north has toughened its stance, even as the U.N. continues to push for what is known as “a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.”
During the campaign, Erhürman promised that his first visit would be to Ankara to meet Erdoğan.
In his first comments after his victory, the new Turkish Cypriot leader said that his leadership “will be exercised in an impartial, fair and inclusive manner.”
