Northern Cyprus to Elect New President in October

Preparations for the 2025 presidential elections are underway in Northern Cyprus, with a new head of state set to be elected no later than October 12.

The exact election date will be determined by parliament. Although the vote is still about eight months away, the process of nominating candidates has already begun.

The National Unity Party (UBP) has yet to officially announce its candidate, but it is highly likely that incumbent President Ersin Tatar will seek re-election, as he has previously expressed his intention to run for a second term.

Meanwhile, Erhan Arıklı, leader of the coalition Rebirth Party (YDP), has confirmed that his party will nominate its own candidate. Among the possible contenders is Serdar Denktaş.

It is also expected that People’s Party (HP) leader Kudret Özersay will announce his candidacy.

The Social Democratic Party (TDP) has not yet decided on a candidate.

According to Asım Akansoy, Secretary-General of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the party will hold its congress on April 6, during which Tufan Erhürman will be officially nominated.

Previous Elections

The last presidential elections in Northern Cyprus took place in 2020. Initially scheduled for April 26, the vote was postponed to October 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A runoff was held on October 18, in which Ersin Tatar emerged victorious.

All Presidents of Northern Cyprus:

• Rauf Denktaş (1983–2005) – The founding president of Northern Cyprus, who led the country for 22 years.
• Mehmet Ali Talat (2005–2010)
• Derviş Eroğlu (2010–2015)
• Mustafa Akıncı (2015–2020)
• Ersin Tatar (2020–2025)