President of Northern Cyprus

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President of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı (Turkish)
Emblem of the Presidency
Presidential Standard
since 24 October 2025
Style
ResidencePresidential palace
North Nicosia
Term lengthFive years,
renewable once
Inaugural holderRauf Denktaş
Formation15 November 1983; 41 years ago (1983-11-15)
Salary₺411,320 monthly (2025)[1]
Websitewww.kktcb.org
Politics of Northern Cyprus
Constitution
Executive
List of cabinets of Northern Cyprus
Legislature
Assembly of the Republic
Speaker
Ziya Öztürkler
Political parties
Elections
Administrative divisions
  • First level: Six districts
  • Second level: Twelve sub-districts
  • Third level: Twenty-eight municipalities
Foreign relations
Diplomatic missions of / in Northern Cyprus
Membership in international organizations

The president of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Rauf Denktaş was the first and founding president of Northern Cyprus, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over by Mehmet Ali Talat, followed by Derviş Eroğlu,[2] then Mustafa Akıncı, Ersin Tatar, and the current president, Tufan Erhürman.

The president is elected every five years. Presidential elections are held in two rounds if no candidate gains more than 50% of the votes in the first round. It is necessary that the president is originated from the island of Cyprus. The president must have lived in the country for five years, received secondary education and be over 30 years old.[3]

The presidency is not a ceremonial position in the semi-presidential political system of Northern Cyprus. The president reserves the right to dismiss the Assembly of the Republic in case a government cannot be formed within sixty days or three successive governments receive votes of no confidence. They also can preside over the Council of Ministers if they wish to do so, approve the appointments of the judges and president of the Supreme Court and have the right to send laws approved by the Assembly of the Republic to the Supreme Court. The president has also traditionally been the chief negotiator for the resolution of the Cyprus dispute and been responsible for the foreign relations of Northern Cyprus.[4]

The president is represented by the speaker of the Assembly of the Republic when the president is abroad.[3]

The most recent presidential election was held on 19 October 2025. Tufan Erhürman is the current president.[5]

List of presidents of Northern Cyprus (1975–present)

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President of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus (1975–1983)

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The Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was intended as an autonomous part of Cyprus, but was rejected by the government of the Republic of Cyprus.

No. Name
(Birth–Death) 		Portrait Elected Term of office Political party
1 Rauf Denktaş
(1924–2012)		 1976
1981		 13 February 1975 15 November 1983 Independent
(until 11 October 1975)
National Unity Party
(11 October 1975 onwards)

Presidents of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (1983–present)

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This list gives all presidents after Northern Cyprus' unilateral declaration of independence in 1983, which followed after the refusal of the government of the Republic of Cyprus to recognize the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus.

No. Name
(Birth–Death) 		Portrait Elected Term of office Political party
1 Rauf Denktaş
(1924–2012)		 1985 15 November 1983 15 March 1990 National Unity Party
– Hakkı Atun
(born 1935)
(acting)[6]		 – 15 March 1990 25 April 1990 National Unity Party
(1) Rauf Denktaş
(1924–2012)		 1990
1995
2000		 25 April 1990 24 April 2005 National Unity Party
2 Mehmet Ali Talat
(born 1952)		 2005 24 April 2005 23 April 2010 Republican Turkish Party
3 Derviş Eroğlu
(born 1938)		 2010 23 April 2010 30 April 2015 National Unity Party
4 Mustafa Akıncı
(born 1947)		 2015 30 April 2015 23 October 2020 Independent
5 Ersin Tatar
(born 1960)		 2020 23 October 2020 24 October 2025 National Unity Party
6 Tufan Erhürman
(born 1970)		 2025 24 October 2025 Incumbent Republican Turkish Party

Timeline

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Tufan ErhürmanErsin TatarMustafa AkıncıDerviş EroğluMehmet Ali TalatRauf Denktaş

Latest election

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Main article: 2025 Northern Cypriot presidential election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Tufan ErhürmanRepublican Turkish Party87,13762.76
Ersin TatarIndependent49,71435.81
Arif Salih Kırdağ [tr]Independent4590.33
Osman ZorbaCyprus Socialist Party [tr]4430.32
İbrahim YazıcıIndependent3300.24
Mehmet Hasgüler [tr]Independent3000.22
Hüseyin GürlekIndependent2570.19
Ahmet BoranIndependent1990.14
Total138,839100.00
Valid votes138,83998.04
Invalid/blank votes2,7761.96
Total votes141,615100.00
Registered voters/turnout218,31364.87
Source: Cyprus Post

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "KTAMS, HAYAT PAHALILIĞININ EKLENMESİYLE SİYASİ KAMU GÖREVLİLERİNİN ALACAĞI MAAŞLARI AÇIKLADI". 4 July 2025.
  2. ^ Northern Cyprus's new president: Enter Eroglu (The Economist) Retrieved on 2011-06-01.
  3. ^ a b "KKTC hakkında, Cumhubaşkanı (About the TRNC, the President)". TRNC Department of Promotion. Archived from the original on May 18, 2004. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  4. ^ "KKTC Devleti Fonksiyonel - Kurumsal Gözden Geçirme Çalışması" (PDF) (in Turkish). The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Turkish Cypriots elect Tufan Erhurman in northern Cyprus polls". Al Jazeera. 19 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Denktaş'ın 1990'daki İstifası: Kritik Seçim Manevrası · Mustafa Özbilgehan · Tabella". Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
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