Following Tufan Erhürman’s landslide victory in the presidential election with almost 63% of the vote in Northern Cyprus, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP)—which Erhürman formerly led—is preparing to take power in the upcoming general elections, expected by January 2026 at the latest.
Sıla Usar İncirli, 54, the CTP’s new and first female chair, said that the party favors a federation model as part of the search for a solution in Cyprus, and they have begun drafting their government program.
A SENSITIVE TERM FOR POLITICIANS
Ankara has long opposed the use of the term federation in settlement talks. Although the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is not recognized by the international community, the AKP government advocates for a two-state solution on the island.
Therefore, during his campaign for the Oct. 24, 2025, presidential election, the 56-year-old Erhürman avoided the word federation, proposing instead a four-point package centered on political equality to restart negotiations.
However, İncirli explicitly used the term and said “For a fair and lasting solution, we support a bizonal, bicommunal federation model based on political equality,” meeting with a group of journalists, including Turkey in Depth’s Murat Gürgen, in Ankara on May 7.
İncirli argued that the focus should not be on the label federation itself and briefly said: “Currently, there is a state that is not recognized by the world, unable to conduct direct international trade or flights. Certainly we will fight to lift the isolations on Turkish Cypriots, but we do not believe the status quo has a future. What matters are the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots within the newly established federal state.”
Key Proposals and Regional Dynamics of the federation model proposed by the CTP includes: A requirement that every parliamentary decision receives the vote of at least one Turkish Cypriot representative and a rotating presidency system.
Pointing to the military agreement recently signed between Greek Cypriots and France following the Iran crisis, İncirli said that a negotiated settlement would also benefit Turkey regarding EU relations and maritime jurisdiction areas.
LOOKING AHEAD: ELECTIONS AND SUMMITS
İncirli said that they expect UN Secretary-General António Guterres to organize a summit in the 5+1 format (Turkey, Greece, UK, the Cypriot parties, and the UN) before his term ends at the end of the year.
While general elections in Northern Cyprus are held every five years, the CTP anticipates that the election—originally scheduled for Jan. 2027—will be scheduled earlier to Autumn 2026 at the latest. Since the opposition CTP does not hold a majority in parliament, the decision for early elections rests with the current coalition government parties.
Concluding her remarks, İncirli said that, should they come to power, the CTP would determine its foreign policy in consultation with Ankara, following the precedent of previous governments, and a resolution in negotiations is impossible without the approval of Turkey as a guarantor power.
