Tufan Erhürman became the new president of Northern Cyprus in Sunday’s election—winning twice as many votes as incumbent Ersin Tatar.
Erhürman is a familiar name among Turkish Cypriots but not to the Turkish public. A seasoned politician who has served both as prime minister and party leader, he joins a line of Cypriot leaders whose names rarely surface in Turkey outside moments of crisis. Yet, like some of his predecessors, Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akıncı—both presidents from the same social-democratic tradition—his story also crosses paths with Ankara’s academic and political world.
ROADS THAT LEAD TO METU
All three presidents have a shared link to the Middle East Technical University (METU).
Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akıncı studied there; Tufan Erhürman graduated from Ankara University’s Faculty of Law, yet later lectured on law at METU—becoming, in spirit, a member of its community. The same way physicist and politician Erdal İnönü, though an Ankara University graduate, became known as “one of METU’s own” during his tenure as rector in the late 1960s.
At METU, people call each other “hocam”—a word that literally means “my teacher,” but is used by everyone, from students to professors, as a warm expression of mutual respect and equality, reflecting the belief that everyone has something to learn from one another. It has become a hallmark of METU’s culture and spirit. The habit has spread far beyond campus. Even on minibuses heading from Ankara’s Güvenpark toward Balgat, where METU stands, passengers still greet one another with a familiar “hocam.”
AVID NOTE TAKER AND NOVELIST
Son of a train engineer and raised in modest circumstances, Erhürman’s rise to the presidency owes much to his work in the Cyprus negotiations.
He entered politics in 2005 as a member of then-President Talat’s negotiating team. Around the same time, he helped shape the creation of the Immovable Property Commission (IPC), established after European Court of Human Rights rulings on Greek Cypriot property claims against Turkey. The IPC became a pragmatic formula that strengthened the Turkish side’s legal position, and it’s still seen as annoying by the Greek Cypriots.
An avid note-taker who reads with a ruler in hand, Erhürman is also a novelist.
His three books—Confrontation, Corruption, and Correspondence—feel almost prophetic in describing today’s realities.
CYPRUS—AN ISLAND ON EDGE
Cyprus is such a critical island that calling it “an island of assassinations” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
In 1996, journalist Kutlu Adalı was gunned down after investigating counter-guerrilla networks on the island—at the very moment Turkey’s “Susurluk scandal” exposed the nexus of mafia, state, and politics. Adalı, who had long advocated for a united Cyprus, was murdered after receiving multiple threats over his reporting.
The next assassination, in 2022, was of a very different kind. Halil Falyalı—known as the “Casino King” of Northern Cyprus—was shot dead. After gambling was outlawed in Turkey, the industry migrated to the island, where fortunes are made and lost, and allegations of dirty money abound. Erhürman’s election victory reflected not only his stance on the Cyprus issue but also a public backlash against this murky system.
THE TURNING POINT: 1974
The course that began with Turkey’s 1974 intervention led to today’s divided island—two states.
The operation also reshaped Turkish politics, earning Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit the title “Conqueror of Cyprus.” Turkish cinema, for decades, portrayed Cyprus through heroic tales of Turks fighting Greeks.
There was one exception: the 1978 film “Seninle Son Defa” (For the Last Time With You), starring Tarık Akan and Sevda Ferdağ.
Instead of war and enmity, it told a love story set against the backdrop of Cypriot businessmen who—like their counterparts everywhere—see nature, women, and the environment merely as instruments for profit. A respectful nod to its director, Feyzi Tuna.
THE “HOCAS” OF PEACE
Throughout the campaign, Ersin Tatar tried to provoke Erhürman into speaking against Ankara. But Erhürman refused to take the bait—ignoring criticism from left-wing circles that he wasn’t “standing firm enough” against Turkey. His careful, inclusive language, steering away from polarization, became a key part of his electoral success.
Returning to the three presidents from the same social-democratic tradition, one final shared trait stands out: they are all “solution-oriented.”
Rather than clinging to division, they believe in a shared future shaped by the choices of both communities. It won’t be easy—there are countless obstacles—but one can’t help thinking: “The Hocas will find a way.”
