President of Northern Cyprus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Presidential Standard
Presidential Seal
Incumbent Tufan Erhürman since 24 October 2025
Style	Mr. President (informal) The Honourable (formal) His Excellency (formal, diplomatic)
Residence	Presidential palace North Nicosia
Term length	5 years
Inaugural holder	Rauf Denktaş
Formation	15 November 1983; 42 years ago (1983-11-15)
Salary	₺45,000 annually (2021)

The President of Northern Cyprus is the main leader of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a country that not all other nations recognize. The President acts as the head of state, representing the people. The first President was Rauf Denktaş, who retired in 2005. Since then, other leaders have served, including Mehmet Ali Talat, Derviş Eroğlu, Mustafa Akıncı, and Ersin Tatar. The current President is Tufan Erhürman.

People vote for their President every five years. If no candidate gets more than half of the votes in the first round, there's a second vote between the top two candidates. To become President, a person must be from the island of Cyprus, have lived in Northern Cyprus for at least five years, finished high school, and be over 30 years old.

The President of Northern Cyprus has many important jobs, not just ceremonial ones. Northern Cyprus has a semi-presidential system, meaning the President shares power with the government. The President can dismiss the Assembly of the Republic (like a parliament) if a government can't be formed in 60 days. They can also do this if three governments in a row lose the Assembly's trust. The President can also lead meetings of the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). They approve new judges and the head of the Supreme Court. The President can also send new laws back to the Supreme Court for review. Historically, the President has also been the main person talking about solutions for the future of Cyprus and handles how Northern Cyprus interacts with other countries.

When the President travels outside the country, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic takes their place temporarily.

The most recent presidential election happened on October 19, 2025. Tufan Erhürman won and is now the President.

Leaders of Northern Cyprus

Presidents of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus (1975–1983)

Before becoming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the area was known as the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. This was meant to be a self-governing part of Cyprus. However, the government of the Republic of Cyprus did not agree with this plan.

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Portrait	Elected	Term of office		Political party
1	Rauf Denktaş (1924–2012)		1976 1981	13 February 1975	15 November 1983	Independent (until 11 October 1975) National Unity Party (11 October 1975 onwards)

Presidents of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (1983–Present)

This list shows all the Presidents after Northern Cyprus declared itself an independent country in 1983. This happened because the government of the Republic of Cyprus did not recognize the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus.

No.	Name (Born–Died)	Portrait	Elected	Term of office		Political party
1	Rauf Denktaş (1924–2012)		1985	15 November 1983	15 March 1990	National Unity Party
–	Hakkı Atun (born 1935) (acting)		–	15 March 1990	25 April 1990	National Unity Party
(1)	Rauf Denktaş (1924–2012)		1990 1995 2000	25 April 1990	24 April 2005	National Unity Party
2	Mehmet Ali Talat (born 1952)		2005	24 April 2005	23 April 2010	Republican Turkish Party
3	Derviş Eroğlu (born 1938)		2010	23 April 2010	30 April 2015	National Unity Party
4	Mustafa Akıncı (born 1947)		2015	30 April 2015	23 October 2020	Independent
5	Ersin Tatar (born 1960)		2020	23 October 2020	24 October 2025	National Unity Party
6	Tufan Erhürman (born 1970)		2025	24 October 2025	Incumbent	Republican Turkish Party

Presidential Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Presidente de Chipre del Norte para niños

• Politics of Northern Cyprus
• Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus