Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
, and the current
president of Northern Cyprus
The president of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Rauf Denktaş was the first and founding president of Northern Cyprus, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over by Mehmet Ali Talat, follow ...
. He became the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
following the collapse of the coalition government of
Tufan Erhürman
Tufan Erhürman (born 1970) is a Turkish Cypriot academic, lawyer, diplomat and a former Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus. A scholar in public law by profession, he served in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute between 2008 and 2010. He ...
in May 2019 and served until his own election as president. He was also the leader of the
National Unity Party The National Unity Party, National United Party, Party of National Unity or National Unity Front may refer to:
* National United Party of Afghanistan (founded 2003)
* National Unity Party (Albania)
* National United Party (Armenia), defunct
* Natio ...
(UBP) and served as
leader of the opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
.
Early life
Ersin Tatar was born on 7 September 1960 in
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, the son of politician Rüstem Tatar, and his wife Canev Tatar. He was a boarding pupil at
Forest School Forest School or Forrest School may refer to:
Educational philosophy
* Forest school (learning style), a learner centred outdoor learning approach.
Religious philosophy
* Thai Forest Tradition, a Theravada school of Buddhism in Thailand.
* Sri La ...
, a private school in east London, England, and attended
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...
, where he earned a degree in economics in 1982.
Career
From 1982 to 1986, Tatar worked as a chartered accountant for
PriceWaterhouse
PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. From 1986 to 1991, he worked for
Polly Peck
Polly Peck International (PPI) was a small British textile company which expanded rapidly in the 1980s and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index before collapsing in 1991 with debts of £1.3bn, eventually leading to the flight of its CEO, ...
, and was the company's assistant treasurer when it collapsed with debts of £1.3 billion.
In the resulting trial that led to CEO
Asil Nadir
Asil Nadir (born 1 May 1941) is a British Turkish Cypriot businessman, who was chief executive of Polly Peck, which he took over as a small textile company, growing it during the 1980s to become one of the United Kingdom's top 100 FTSE-listed c ...
receiving a ten-year jail term, it was alleged that Tatar had "assisted Mr Nadir in the dishonest movement of money from PPI and enjoyed a close working relationship with the Polly Peck boss." When Tatar visited the UK in 2019, for the first time since 1991, there was concern that he might be arrested for his Polly Peck role, but the UK's Serious Fraud Office said that it was "no longer in the public interest".
In 1991, he moved to
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
where he worked at FMC Nurol Defense Industry Co until 1992. From 1992 to 2001, he was the general coordinator of
Show TV
Show TV is a nationwide television channel in Turkey owned by Albayrak Holding since 2018, acquired from Sadık Albayrak which in turn seized from Ciner Media Group after Turgay Ciner was forced to sell due to tax debts. The channel replaces Cine ...
, a Turkish television channel owned by
Ciner Media Group
Ciner Media Group (''Ciner Medya Grubu'') is a Turkish media conglomerate established in 2007, part of the Ciner Holding conglomerate. Among other properties it owns the ''Habertürk'' newspaper, Habertürk TV and Habertürk Radyo, and the televis ...
. In 1996, he founded his own Kanal T television channel in Nicosia.
He was also an active member of the Cypriot diaspora community in Turkey, and was chair of the Istanbul Turkish Cypriot Cultural Association from 1997 to 2001.
Politics
Tatar entered politics in 2003, joining the UBP. He was first elected to parliament in 2009, and served as
minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
under
Derviş Eroğlu
Derviş Eroğlu (born 7 March 1938) is a Turkish Cypriot politician, who served as the president of Northern Cyprus from 2010
Tatar voiced support for the
2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria
The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring ( tr, Barış Pınarı Harekâtı) by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Ar ...
and said that
Cypriot Turks
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
are always on Turkey's side.
Tatar is a supporter of a
two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation ...
.
One week before the 2020 presidential election, Tatar visited
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. After his arrival he announced that he would be reopening the closed-off Varosha beachfront, with
Turkish president
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national govern ...
Tayyip Erdogan
Tayyip () is a Turkish given name for males. Tayyip may refer to:
* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954), Turkish politician, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey from 2003 to 2014, and current President of Turkey since 2014
*Tayyip Talha Sa ...
’s blessing. The move to open the beachfront, announced by Tatar, drew widespread condemnation both in the north and in the
Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, as well as with the international community. Furthermore, deputy prime minister of that time Kudret Ozersay announced his resignation and has accused of Ersin Tatar of stealing his idea. Ozersay, who was the first to call for the reopening of Varosha under Turkish Cypriot control, said he was against Tatar’s decision because he had turned the issue into a campaign matter ahead of the Turkish Cypriot presidential elections. Ozersay was also a candidate. This has caused the TRNC government to dissolve just one week before the election. Attempting to save face that the decision to open Varosha was not a campaign ploy from
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
, Tatar said he made the decision as ‘
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
’ and not as a candidate in the upcoming elections.
Personal life
He is married to Sibel Tatar, and they have two children.