| President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | |
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| Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı (Turkish) | |
.svg) Presidential Seal | |
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| Style |
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| Residence | Presidential palace North Nicosia |
| Term length | 5 years |
| Inaugural holder | Rauf Denktaş |
| Formation | 15 November 1983; 41 years ago (1983-11-15) |
| Salary | ₺45,000 annually (2021)[1] |
| Website | www |
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| Constitution |
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Thepresident of Northern Cyprus is thehead of state of the self-proclaimedTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.Rauf Denktaş was the first and founding president of Northern Cyprus, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over byMehmet Ali Talat, followed byDerviş Eroğlu,[2] thenMustafa 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 thesemi-presidential political system of Northern Cyprus. The president reserves the right to dismiss theAssembly 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 theCouncil of Ministers if they wish to do so, approve the appointments of the judges and president of theSupreme 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 theCyprus dispute and been responsible for theforeign relations of Northern Cyprus.[4]
The president is represented by thespeaker of the Assembly of the Republic when the president is abroad.[3]
The mostrecent presidential election was held on 19 October 2025.Tufan Erhürman is the current president.[5]
The Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was intended as an autonomous part ofCyprus, but was rejected by the government of theRepublic 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) |
This list gives all presidents after Northern Cyprus'unilateral declaration of independence in 1983, which followed after the refusal of the government of theRepublic 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) | .jpg) | 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) | .jpg) | 2020 | 23 October 2020 | 24 October 2025 | National Unity Party |
| 6 | Tufan Erhürman (born 1970) | | 2025 | 24 October 2025 | Incumbent | Republican Turkish Party |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufan Erhürman | Republican Turkish Party | 87,137 | 62.76 | |
| Ersin Tatar | Independent | 49,714 | 35.81 | |
| Arif Salih Kırdağ [tr] | Independent | 459 | 0.33 | |
| Osman Zorba | Cyprus Socialist Party [tr] | 443 | 0.32 | |
| İbrahim Yazıcı | Independent | 330 | 0.24 | |
| Mehmet Hasgüler [tr] | Independent | 300 | 0.22 | |
| Hüseyin Gürlek | Independent | 257 | 0.19 | |
| Ahmet Boran | Independent | 199 | 0.14 | |
| Total | 138,839 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 138,839 | 98.04 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,776 | 1.96 | ||
| Total votes | 141,615 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 218,313 | 64.87 | ||
| Source:Cyprus Post | ||||