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Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Northern Cyprus on 19 October 2025, [1] in order to determine who will serve as president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between 2025 and 2030.
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Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Northern Cyprus on 19 October 2025, [1] in order to determine who will serve as president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between 2025 and 2030.
The previous presidential election was held on 11 October 2020, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The election went to a second round as no candidate surpassed 50% in the first round.
The second round was held on 18 October 2020, with Ersin Tatar elected as the fifth president of Northern Cyprus with 52% of the vote. Mustafa Akıncı received 48% of the vote. It was alleged that there was Turkish interference in the elections.
Towards the autumn months of 2021, while the minority Saner government was struggling with quorum issues and ministerial resignations, a video scandal involving Prime Minister Ersan Saner broke out. Prime Minister Saner denied the allegations and, due to quorum issues and similar problems, submitted his resignation on October 13, 2021. [2]
The leader of the main opposition party, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Tufan Erhürman, commented on the government's resignation by saying that it had "finally realized that a non-existent government does not exist and resigned." He stated that he did not expect major changes to occur. [3]
In the final days of October 2021, the ruling party and major coalition partner, the National Unity Party (UBP), held its congress. Faiz Sucuoğlu came in first with 5,295 votes (60.7%), Hasan Taçoy came in second with 2,869 votes (32.9%), and Zorlu Töre came in third with 468 votes (5.4%). On 5 November 2021 a new government was formed; the first Sucuoğlu government, led by Faiz Sucuoğlu, served as an interim government..
On 23 January 2022 early parliamentary elections were held. The UBP maintained its position as the leading party but failed to secure the 26 seats required for a majority. Subsequently, a UBP–Democratic Party (DP)–Rebirth Party (YDP) coalition government was formed. On 21 February 2022 Sucuoğlu submitted the resignation of the second Sucuoğlu Government after President Ersin Tatar rejected his request to dismiss Finance Minister Sunat Atun. The resignation was accepted on 20 April, ending the government.
On 25 April the third Sucuoğlu Government was formed, and Faiz Sucuoğlu became prime minister again. However, the government collapsed on 30 April, with his resignation, and served as a caretaker government until Interior Minister Ünal Üstel formed the Üstel Government on 12 May. On 12 May the Üstel Government was established once again under the UBP–DP–YDP coalition. Although the possibility of the YDP withdrawing from the government was occasionally brought up, it did not materialize.
In 2022 Northern Cyprus was affected by the devaluation of the Turkish lira as a result of the Turkish economic crisis. The increase in exchange rates increased import costs and fuelled inflation. In particular, food inflation reached 99%, reaching the highest level since the 1990s. [4] Russian invasion of Ukraine also negatively affected the TRNC by increasing energy and commodity prices. [5]
The high level of inflation has seriously reduced the purchasing power of the people, making it difficult to access basic necessities. Economic pressures have also affected family structure; an increase in divorce rates has been observed. [6]
The government sought economic support through financial protocols signed with Turkey. However, there are differing opinions on the effectiveness of these protocols. [5]
In 2025 middle school student İkra Şimşek not being allowed into school because she was wearing a headscarf caused a wide public outcry. Following this incident, the government published a regulation in the Official Gazette on 8 April 2025, on the grounds that it would eliminate a legal gap regarding the headscarf, and put it into effect. Although this decision was considered by some as a guarantee of individual freedoms, concerns that the principle of secularism was being eroded triggered social opposition.
The beginning of the protests was announced at a press conference held on 4 April, led by the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Union (KTÖS) and the Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers' Union (KTOEÖS). At this meeting, it was emphasized that they would not remain silent against political interventions targeting secular education and social structure, and it was announced that a large-scale action would be held with the participation of nearly 40 organizations. [7]
The participation of the children of the founding leaders of Northern Cyprus, Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş, in the protests revealed that the defense of secularism was not limited to left-wing groups, but also finds a response in nationalist circles that are sensitive about historical identity and independence. [7] The slogans “Cyprus is secular, it will remain secular” and “We want teachers, not imams” came to the fore during the protests. These demonstrations, which were attended by an estimated 13,000 people, revealed the reaction of a large segment of the TRNC that expressed their commitment to the principle of secularism.
Presidential elections are held directly with universal suffrage and by secret ballot. Every citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote and vote. Presidential elections are held every 5 years and the age limit for the presidency is set at 35. In the TRNC, a candidate participating in the election must receive an absolute majority of the valid votes cast to be elected president. If none of the candidates receive an absolute majority, the election is renewed after 7 days between the two candidates who receive the most votes and the candidate who receives the most votes is elected as the new president. [8]
On June 2, 2025, the Democrat Party and the Rebirth Party held an event called "Common Sense Consensus" to support President Ersin Tatar's second-term candidacy. These three parties stated that they would partner for the next presidential election.
The statement emphasized the importance of Turkish Cypriots defending their sovereignty in the face of the Greek Cypriot side's uncompromising stance and stated that Tatar's two-state solution policy reflects the will of the people. In his speech, President Tatar expressed his determination to promote the TRNC internationally and the need to strengthen the understanding of national unity. [9]
On April 6, 2025, the Republican Turkish Party Assembly unanimously voted for Chairman Tufan Erhürman as its presidential candidate. This decision was later approved by the CTP's congress. Erhürman received support not only within the party but also from independent members of parliament. He announced his candidacy on social media, emphasizing a presidential approach that would represent the integrity of the people. [10]
Mehmet Harmancı, the strongest potential candidate for the Communal Democracy Party, called for his party to not field a candidate in the elections and support CTP candidate Tufan Erhürman. [11]
The party's Central Committee released a written statement announcing its decision to run its own candidate in the elections. During the nomination process, Osman Zorba, a member of the party's Central Committee, was selected as the presidential candidate, and the candidacy was announced to the public. [12]
Mehmet Hasgüler and Arif Salih Kırdağ announced that they would participate in the elections as independent candidates. [13] [14] Although it was claimed that Serdar Denktaş would also be a candidate due to a statement he made on July 18, 2024, he did not announce his candidacy. [15]
The Supreme Election Council is expected to announce the finalization of the candidates on September 21, 2025, and the drawing of votes to determine the order to be used by political parties and independent candidates throughout the election process, with the announcement of the final candidate list on September 22, 2025.
| Fieldwork date | Polling firm | Sample size | Erhürman CTP | Siber CTP | Tatar UBP | Özersay HP | Manavoğlu HP | Arıklı YDP | Harmancı TDP | Denktaş Independent | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | CMIRS | 500 | 51,63 | – | 46,64 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,74 | 4,99 |
| 4 April | Anti-government protests broke out across the country. | |||||||||||
| 8-21 Mar | GENAR | 200 | 36,00 | – | 37,90 | 6,80 | – | 7,10 | 7,00 | 4,60 | 0,60 | 1,90 |
| March | CMIRS | 500 | 33,83 | 2,34 | 35,11 | 6,60 | 1,91 | 6,17 | 5,74 | 4,47 | 3,93 | 1,28 |
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| December | CMIRS | 500 | 34,56 | 2,59 | 29,81 | 7,99 | 4,54 | 5,18 | 8,21 | 2,16 | 4,96 | 4,75 |
| September | CMIRS | 500 | 38,08 | 2,34 | 37,02 | 3,19 | 2,77 | 3,19 | 9,36 | 1,91 | 2,14 | 1,06 |
| June | CMIRS | 500 | 36,21 | 2,27 | 29,83 | 7,61 | 3,08 | 4,73 | 7,82 | 5,14 | 3,31 | 6,38 |
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| By-elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
See also: Elections and referendums in Cyprus | |
