Mehmet Ali Talat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mehmet Ali Talat
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| 2nd President of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 24 April 2005 – 23 April 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Ferdi Sabit Soyer Derviş Eroğlu |
| Preceded by | Rauf Denktaş |
| Succeeded by | Derviş Eroğlu |
| Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 13 January 2004 – 24 April 2005 |
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| President | Rauf Denktaş |
| Preceded by | Derviş Eroğlu |
| Succeeded by | Ferdi Sabit Soyer |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 11 December 1995 – 16 August 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Özker Özgür |
| Succeeded by | Serdar Denktaş |
| Leader of the Republican Turkish Party | |
| In office 14 June 2015 – 13 November 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Özkan Yorgancıoğlu |
| Succeeded by | Tufan Erhürman |
| In office 14 January 1996 – 21 May 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Özker Özgür |
| Succeeded by | Ferdi Sabit Soyer |
| Member of the Assembly of Republic | |
| In office 6 December 1998 – 23 April 2005 |
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| Constituency | Lefkoşa (1998, 2003, 2005) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1952 Kyrenia, British Cyprus |
| Nationality | Turkish Cypriot |
| Political party | Republican Turkish Party |
| Spouse | Oya Talat |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus |
| Alma mater | Middle East Technical University Eastern Mediterranean University |
Mehmet Ali Talat, born on July 6, 1952, is a well-known Turkish Cypriot politician. He served as the second president of Northern Cyprus from 2005 to 2010. Before becoming president, Talat was the leader of the Republican Turkish Party, a political group, for many years. He also held the position of Prime Minister in 2004.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mehmet Ali Talat was born in Kyrenia on July 6, 1952. He finished his high school education in Cyprus. After that, he went to the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. There, he studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
While he was a university student, Talat became involved in various political activities. When he returned to Cyprus, he continued this work. He played an important part in creating groups like Turkish Cypriot trade unions. These unions help workers. He also helped start the Turkish Cypriot Students' Youth Federation (KOGEF). He was the first leader of this student group.
Talat also joined the youth part of the Republican Turkish Party. He worked in many different groups within the party for a long time. He was in charge of education for the party.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Talat joined the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in 1973. He quickly became an important leader in the party. During this time, he also worked as a repairman for refrigerators. He was a senior figure when Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983.
The CTP had actually been against creating an independent state in the north before this. However, Talat later said that the party was pressured to vote for independence. He was one of those who didn't want to vote for it, but the party leaders decided to support it.
Talat became the Minister of Education and Culture in 1993. This was in the first government formed by the CTP and another party called the Democratic Party. He held this same job again in a later government. Then, he became the Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister in a third government.
Leading the Party
On January 14, 1996, Talat was chosen as the leader of the CTP. He took over from Özker Özgür. After being elected to the Northern Cyprus parliament in December 2003, Talat formed another government. This happened on January 13, 2004.
Becoming President
Talat won the general elections on February 20, 2005. He then formed his second government with the Democratic Party. He served as Prime Minister until he was elected as the second President of Northern Cyprus. This happened on April 17, 2005. After becoming president, he asked Ferdi Sabit Soyer to form a new government.
During a vote in 2004 about a plan to reunite Cyprus, Talat encouraged Turkish Cypriots to vote 'Yes'. The plan was strongly supported in Northern Cyprus. However, the Greek Cypriot community rejected the plan. Because of this, the plan was not put into action. Talat continued to support the idea of reunification.
Despite promises from the European Union to help ease the isolation of Northern Cyprus, this did not happen. This made many Turkish Cypriot voters feel frustrated. As a result, the side that supported independence won the elections in 2009. Their candidate, Derviş Eroğlu, won the presidential elections in 2010. Talat lost the election and was replaced by Derviş Eroğlu as President.
Even though his party and he himself disagree with reuniting with the Republic of Cyprus, he still worked towards a settlement. He aimed to create a united Cyprus with two communities and two zones. This would be based on equal political rights for both communities.
Returning to Politics
On June 14, 2015, Talat won the CTP party meeting. He became the leader of the party once again. Under his leadership, the government at the time resigned. A new government was formed with Ömer Kalyoncu as its head. This was a big partnership with another party called the National Unity Party.
Some people called Talat the "shadow leader" of this new government. However, he said he was not. This government later fell apart. This happened because of disagreements with Turkey about money and how to manage the Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project. Talat then became the leader of the main opposition party. On May 22, 2016, he announced that he would not run for party leadership again in the next meeting.
Personal Life
Mehmet Ali Talat is married to Oya Talat. She is a chemist and works to support women's rights. They got married on October 29, 1978. They have two children, a daughter and a son.
See also
In Spanish: Mehmet Ali Talat para niños
