WHY DID ERHÜRMAN WIN?

I will summarise Tufan Erhürman’s victory in the presidential election in one sentence and then try to explain what I mean.

Turkish Cypriots seized the opportunity presented by the election and voted for him because they found a leader who would embrace the entire community.

Even before entering politics, Erhürman was recognised as an authority in society; his statements were respected and always considered accurate and irrefutable, and everyone appreciated that whenever he spoke in the parliament, everyone listened to him with rapt attention.

With the belief that he would embrace the whole country, forming among a large section of the society, he became a strong candidate months before the election.

With a successful campaign, he not only emphasised that he would defend the rights of unheard segments of society, but also explained how he would achieve this goal, cementing trust with his substantive statements.

Erhürman, who fits the profile of someone who is ‘not aggressive, or confrontational,’ proved this during the campaign by not succumbing to any provocations, or incitement.

It is also important to mention the factors that triggered Erhürman’s victory by a margin, well beyond expectations, in order to shape the future of politics.

The community wants unity and solidarity, not conflict. Synergy created by TDP, TAM Party and two independent MPs who came out in support of CTP candidate Erhürman was also the kind of stance people were looking for.

The way in which Mehmet Harmancı campaiged, as if it were his own election campaign, created an environment where people who were not party members but supported him could vote with a peace of mind; it also ensured that a segment of the electorate, who were likely to boycott the election because they blamed CTP for Akıncı’s previous defeat, went to the polls.

Within UBP, those aiming to capitalise on the election’s failure by not supporting Ünal Üstel’s efforts in the propaganda process, and those seeking to create turmoil within the party to gain advantage by not working on the election also played a role in widening the gap.

In my opinion, one of the important reasons for the widening gap was Ersin Tatar’s fear-mongering rhetoric. Instead of trying to convince the public with his own actions, he tried to win the election with such statements as, “if the opponent wins, this is what is going to happen.” The election result showed that such rhetoric no longer works.

Finally, the fact that the group of voters referred to as being of Turkish origin have now become subjects, and that the statement, “if the opponents win, they will load you onto ships and send you away” not only had no impact but backfired, and the insistence on this line of argument played a role in widening the gap.

This article was originally published on 22.10.2025

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