Mustafa Akıncı facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mustafa Akıncı
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Akıncı in 2015
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| 4th President of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 30 April 2015 – 23 October 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Özkan Yorgancıoğlu Ömer Kalyoncu Hüseyin Özgürgün Tufan Erhürman Ersin Tatar |
| Preceded by | Derviş Eroğlu |
| Succeeded by | Ersin Tatar |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 30 December 1998 – 8 June 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Serdar Denktaş |
| Succeeded by | Salih Coşar |
| Mayor of North Nicosia | |
| In office 1976–1990 |
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| Preceded by | Ziver Kemal |
| Succeeded by | Burhan Yetkili |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 December 1947 Limassol, British Cyprus |
| Political party | Communal Democracy Independent |
| Spouse | Meral Akıncı |
| Alma mater | Middle East Technical University |
| Profession | Architect |
Mustafa Akıncı (born 28 December 1947) is a Turkish Cypriot politician. He served as the president of Northern Cyprus from April 2015 to October 2020. Before becoming president, he was the first elected mayor of North Nicosia and held that role for 14 years.
Akıncı is an architect by profession. He has always supported the idea of reuniting Cyprus. He has also spoken out against Turkey's growing influence in Northern Cyprus. This stance led to strong opposition from the Turkish government. In the 2020 election, he lost to his rival, Ersin Tatar.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mustafa Akıncı was born in Limassol on 28 December 1947. He studied architecture at the Middle East Technical University. There, he met his wife, Meral Akıncı. He returned to Cyprus in 1973. The couple married in 1974, and their first child was born in 1975.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics and Becoming Mayor
In 1975, Akıncı was chosen to be part of the Constituent Assembly of Turkish Cypriots. The next year, in 1976, he ran for mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. He was only 28 years old. Akıncı won the election, becoming the first elected mayor of the city.
He served as mayor for 14 years, from 1976 to 1990. During this time, he worked with the Greek Cypriot mayor of Nicosia, Lellos Demetriades. They worked together on important city projects like the Nicosia Sewerage Project and the Nicosia Master Plan. These projects helped the city and won international awards.
In 1983, Akıncı became the first president of the Turkish-Cypriot Municipalities organization. In 1987, he was chosen to lead the Communal Liberation Party. He held this leadership role until 2001.
Serving in Parliament and as Deputy Prime Minister
From 1993 to 2009, Akıncı was a member of the parliament of Northern Cyprus. In 1998, he was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister. He also served as a Minister of State. He held these positions until 2001.
Akıncı ran for president in 1995 and again in 2000. He did not win either of these elections.
The Peace and Democracy Movement
In 2003, Akıncı started a new political party called the Peace and Democracy Movement. This party aimed to reunite Cyprus. They wanted the island to join the European Union as a single country. Akıncı strongly believed in European integration.
Becoming President in 2015
On 13 March 2015, Mustafa Akıncı officially applied to run for president. During his campaign, he talked about the town of Varosha. He suggested that Varosha should become a lively city again, where people from both communities could work together.
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The presidential election took place on 19 April 2015. Akıncı came in second place, which meant he went to a second round of voting. In the run-off election on 26 April 2015, Akıncı won with 60.5% of the votes. He was sworn in as president of Northern Cyprus on 30 April 2015.
Akıncı believed Northern Cyprus should have more independence from Turkey. This idea was different from the official view that Northern Cyprus was a "young nation" dependent on Turkey. His stance caused some disagreements with the Turkish government. However, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, welcomed Akıncı's election. Both leaders expressed a desire to reunite their country.
2020 Re-election Campaign
Akıncı ran for re-election in 2020 as an independent candidate. He wanted to continue working towards a federal model for Cyprus. He stated, "We do not want to be a minority amongst Greek Cypriots, nor do we want to be a sub-administration dependent on Turkey." His campaign slogan was "The Answer is Akıncı."
During his campaign, Akıncı claimed that the Turkish government was actively trying to influence the election against him. He said that Turkish politicians were telling people not to vote for him. He also stated that he had received threats and that his emails had been hacked. The Turkish embassy in Nicosia denied these claims. Akıncı lost the re-election to Ersin Tatar.
Book
In 2010, Akıncı wrote a book called Belediye Başkanlığı'nda 14 yıl. This title means "Fourteen Years in the Mayoral Office." The book shares his experiences as the mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality.
Negotiations for Reunification
After becoming president, Mustafa Akıncı started direct talks with Republic of Cyprus president Anastasiades. These talks began on 11 May 2015. The goal was to discuss the reunification of Cyprus. Countries like the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey also joined these discussions later. However, the talks ended without an agreement. Both sides blamed each other for the failure.
See also
In Spanish: Mustafa Akıncı para niños
