The three parties forming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s (TRNC) coalition government formally endorsed President Ersin Tatar’s bid for a second term, citing his firm stance on a two-state solution as aligned with the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The National Unity Party (UBP), Democratic Party (DP) and Rebirth Party (YDP) announced their joint support at a rally Saturday in Lefkoşa’s Atatürk Indoor Sports Hall, launching what they called the “Common Sense Consensus” platform.
In a joint statement, the parties said they had “assumed a shared responsibility for the future of the TRNC” and declared Tatar the unified candidate of the Turkish Cypriot people for the upcoming October presidential elections.
“This decision carries meaning beyond day-to-day politics,” the statement read. “In the face of the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigent approach and refusal to resolve the dispute, it is an act of common sense for the Turkish Cypriots to assert their sovereign rights and determine their own path.”
Tatar’s insistence on sovereign equality and a two-state model in Cyprus has drawn strong support from Ankara and broad backing within the TRNC. The parties stressed that this approach reflects the democratic will of the Turkish Cypriot public.
“We call on our people to unite around common sense and stand together under the belief that ‘Together We Are Whole, Our Cause Is One,’” the statement added.
The TRNC presidential election is scheduled for October.
Cyprus has been mired for decades in a dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.
As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is fully recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, but negotiations have been stalled since 2017.
