President of Northern Cyprus

President of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı (Turkish)
Presidential Seal
Presidential Standard
Incumbent
Ersin Tatar
since 23 October 2020
Style
ResidencePresidential palace
North Nicosia
Term length5 years
Inaugural holderRauf Denktaş
Formation15 November 1983
Salary₺45,000 annually (2021)[1]
Websitewww.kktcb.org
Politics of Northern Cyprus
Constitution
Executive
List of cabinets of Northern Cyprus
Legislature
Assembly of the Republic
Speaker
Teberrüken Uluçay
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

The president of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the 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, and the current president, Ersin Tatar.

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 11 October 2020. Ersin Tatar is the current president.[5]

  1. ^ "Vekillerden maaş haberine isyan". 11 February 2020.
  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. 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. ^ "Ersin Tatar elected new Turkish Cypriot leader". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28.