Mustafa Akıncı (; born 28 December 1947) is a
Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...
politician who was the
president of Northern Cyprus from April 2015 until October 2020.
An architect by profession, Akıncı in 1976 became the first elected mayor of the
Nicosia Turkish Municipality in
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...
, at the age of 28. He defeated a candidate endorsed by President
Rauf DenktaÅŸ
Rauf Raif Denktaş (27 January 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Nort ...
as the candidate of the
Communal Liberation Party (TKP). He held this position for an uninterrupted term of 14 years until 1990, leading several projects for the city that won him international awards including the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fie ...
and collaborating with his Greek Cypriot counterpart. Meanwhile, he rose to prominence and gained influence within his party, first becoming Secretary General and then leader in 1987. He served as a member of the
Assembly of the Republic between 1993 and 2009 and as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State between 1999 and 2001. His leadership of the TKP ended in 2001. He established the
Peace and Democracy Movement
The Peace and Democracy Movement () was a social democratic political party in the '' de facto'' Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In the legislative
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws f ...
in 2003 and served as its leader.
Akıncı is a long-standing advocate of the reunification of Cyprus and has opposed Turkey's increasing influence in Northern Cyprus. His stance has seen strong opposition from the
Turkish government in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
, which supported his rival
Ersin Tatar
Ersin Tatar (born 7 September 1960) is a Turkish Cypriot politician who has served as the fifth President of Northern Cyprus since 2020. He previously served as the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus following the collapse of Tufan Erhü ...
in the
2020 presidential election. Akıncı lost re-election to Tatar, taking 48% of the vote in the run-off.
Early life
Akıncı was born in
Limassol
Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...
on 28 December 1947. He studied architecture at the
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a prestigious public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, ...
, where he met his wife, Meral Akıncı. He returned to Cyprus in 1973 and the couple married in 1974. Their first child, Doğa, was born in 1975.
Political career
Early political career and mayorship
In 1975, Akıncı was elected to the
Constituent Assembly of Turkish Cypriots.
He ran as the candidate of the
Communal Liberation Party for the mayorship of the
Nicosia Turkish Municipality and was endorsed by the
Republican Turkish Party
The Republican Turkish Party (, CTP; ) is a social-democratic political party in Northern Cyprus. The party was founded in 1970 by Ahmet Mithat Berberoğlu, a lawyer, in opposition to the leadership of Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş.
On 30 ...
in the Northern Cyprus local elections of 24 May 1976. Akıncı campaigned on a platform of democratisation, using the slogan "An order of fraternity instead of an order of whips!" (). He defeated his main rival, businessman Nevzat Uzunoğlu of the right-wing
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), who had been endorsed by historical Turkish Cypriot leader
Rauf DenktaÅŸ
Rauf Raif Denktaş (27 January 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Nort ...
, by a margin of 1500 votes, receiving 48.99% of the votes against UzunoÄŸlu's 31.81%. Following this election, he became the first elected mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality, and served for an uninterrupted term of 14 years from 1976 to 1990.
[ In the Northern Cyprus local elections of 1 June 1980, he was re-elected with 39.98% of the votes. In the election for his third term, the Northern Cyprus local elections, 1986 of 2 June 1986, the UBP mounted a vigorous campaign to take back the municipality. Akıncı again prevailed with 46.42% of the votes, against 40.93% of the votes for Ramiz Manyera, the UBP candidate.
During his 14 years of Mayorship, he collaborated with Nicosia's then ]Greek-Cypriot
Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greeks, Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming al ...
Mayor Lellos Demetriades on the implementation of the Nicosia Sewerage Project and the Nicosia Master Plan. The Nicosia Master Plan received the 'World Habitat Award' in 1989 and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fie ...
in 2007. Additionally, in 2003, Akıncı and Demetriades were awarded the 'Europa Nostra Medal of Honour' in recognition of their consistent and successful efforts for Nicosia and its citizens during particularly difficult times, and for the preservation of the historical and architectural environment of the Walled City.
In 1983, Akıncı became the first president of the newly established in Turkish-Cypriot Municipalities. In 1987, he was elected leader of the Communal Liberation Party, a position he would hold until 2001.
In 1985, the Communal Liberation Party (TKP) decided to join the cabinet that was ever headed by UBP leader Derviş Eroğlu. Akıncı, who was Secretary General of TKP at the time, refused the formation of this government. He opposed the economic policy proposed by the Turkish government under Turgut Özal, to which UBP and some ministers of the TKP had supported, and led the party to eventually opposing the agreement on the economy, a move that ended the government. Akıncı referred Erbilen, Minister of Health at the time, to the party's disciplinary committee, which led in Erbilen's resignation from TKP.
Member of Parliament; Minister of State; failed presidential bids
Between 1993 and 2009, Akıncı served as a member of the parliament of Northern Cyprus. In the presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
of 15 April 1995, Akıncı ran for the presidency as the TKP candidate. He received 14.23% of the votes and came 4th, behind independent Rauf Denktaş, UBP candidate Derviş Eroğlu and CTP candidate Özker Özgür. On 30 December 1998, he was appointed Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister in the sixth cabinet headed by Derviş Eroğlu, Akıncı being the head of TKP, the junior partner in the UBP-TKP coalition.[
Akıncı ran for the presidency again in the ]presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
of 15 April 2000 as the TKP candidate. He received 11.70% of the votes and came 3rd, behind independent DenktaÅŸ and UBP candidate EroÄŸlu, failing to progress to the run-off.[ He held his ministerial position until 8 June 2001, when the government fell apart.]
The TKP, led by Akıncı, was often involved in political friction with President Denktaş and the Turkish military over the Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island of Cyprus, where troops of t ...
and various political issues. The TKP called for the continuation of talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the placement of the police under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior rather than the existing, Turkish military command. Akıncı stated in 2001 that the Northern Cyprus government had run "smoothly" except for two incidents and that the government fell due to the cooperation of Denktaş and Turkey. Later, in 2007, he claimed that the government had fallen in 2001 after an intervention by the Turkish military as a result of a difference in their respective positions in 2000. He claimed that if not for this crisis, he might have had a "chance at the presidency."
"Peace and Democracy Movement"
In 2003, Akıncı established the social democratic Peace and Democracy Movement
The Peace and Democracy Movement () was a social democratic political party in the '' de facto'' Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In the legislative
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws f ...
party. The main aims of the party were the promotion of the reunification of Cyprus based on the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
's Annan Plan and the consequent European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
accession of a re-unified island. As of 2015, Akıncı continued to view European integration very favourably.
2015 presidential bid
On 13 March 2015, Mustafa Akıncı successfully completed his application to run for presidency.
During his campaign, he spoke out regarding the town of Varosha, calling for "negotiations" to solve the problem. Regarding Varosha, Akıncı stated that, "Instead of living side by side ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is i ...
a corpse, let Varosha become a lively city where people live, contractors from both communities do business together, and young people can find jobs".
On 19 April 2015, the presidential elections took place in Northern Cyprus and Mustafa Akıncı won 26.9% of the votes, which put him 2nd behind Derviş Eroğlu who got 28.2% of the votes. As a result, Akıncı advanced to the second round of the presidential elections, facing Derviş Eroğlu in the 26 April 2015 run-off. Akıncı won the second round of the elections with 60.5% of the vote. He was sworn in as president of Northern Cyprus on 30 April 2015.
Akıncı was perceived as representing the "brother nation" (''kardeş vatan'') outlook regarding relations with Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, as opposed to the "young nation" (''yavru vatan'') outlook officially maintained by Turkey. Akıncı's policy of increasing Northern Cyprus's independence from Turkey met with strong opposition from the Turkish government, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
having a phone-in debate with Akıncı on live TV soon after his election. While Akıncı proposed greater independence from Turkey, the Turkish government was "sceptical" due to the large amount of financial and military aid that had been given to Northern Cyprus since the 1974 invasion.
Political observers, including Greek Cypriot ones,[Will Turkish-Cypriot community election result turn the tables in the Cyprus problem?]
by Manolis Kostidis, ''Independent Balkan News Agency'', 24 April 2015 commented that on the "level of statements and impressions, kıncı'selection could lighten the atmosphere in future negotiations on the Cyprus problem," adding that "despite Akinci's good intentions, it will be difficult to do any of the things he has in mind without the consent of the Turkish government." Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades
Nicos Anastasiades ( ; born 27 September 1946) is a Cypriot politician and businessperson, who served as the seventh president of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally between 1997 and 2013 and served as Me ...
welcomed the electoral result, posting on Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that Akıncı's win was "a hopeful development for our common homeland." Anastasiades added that he'd spoken with Akıncı on the telephone and both men expressed "the desire for genuine reunification of our country."
2020 re-election campaign
Akıncı, sought re-election as an independent. He announced his candidacy and set out his vision for a second term on 5 February 2020 at a rally in Nicosia titled "Trust and Determination Evening". He defended the federal model for the resolution of the Cyprus dispute as the only feasible and reasonable option, declaring "We do not want to be a minority amongst Greek Cypriots, nor do we want to be a sub-administration dependent on Turkey." His re-election bid was shaped around the slogan "The Answer is Akıncı" (), and the themes promoted in the campaign included "trust", "determination", "sincerity" and "responsibility", all associated with Akıncı.
The TDP chairman Cemal Özyiğit declared his party's support for Akıncı's re-election on 23 October 2019, when Akıncı was yet to announce his candidacy. Other parties to declare support for Akıncı in the first round were the extraparliamentary Communal Liberation Party New Forces, Independence Path, United Cyprus Party and Left Movement. The Republican Turkish Party
The Republican Turkish Party (, CTP; ) is a social-democratic political party in Northern Cyprus. The party was founded in 1970 by Ahmet Mithat Berberoğlu, a lawyer, in opposition to the leadership of Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş.
On 30 ...
declared its support for Akıncı in the second round, while the New Cyprus Party called on voters not to vote for Ersin Tatar.
Akıncı made multiple statements over the course of the campaign that the government of Turkey was actively interfering in the elections against him. He stated on 1 October that members of the Turkish parliament of the ruling Justice and Development Party and Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party, or alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party (, MHP), is a Turkish Far-right politics, far-right, ultranationalism, ultranationalist Political parties in Turkey, political party. The group is often de ...
were touring villages in Northern Cyprus, telling people not to vote for Akıncı, and that he had been receiving insults and threats from Turkish "sources". The Turkish embassy in Nicosia released a statement condemning "the mentality that considered every Turkish team on the island an interference in the elections" and said that it was unacceptable that "Turkey was being turned into campaign material".
On 9 October, Akıncı stated that he had been threatened by Turkish authorities early in his campaign, with a "person related to intelligence activity in Cyprus" telling his chief of staff that it would be "better for Akıncı himself, his family and the nation" if he withdrew from the election. He also revealed that his, his Chief of Staff's and his campaign team's emails had been hacked into. The Turkish embassy in Nicosia categorically denied that Akıncı had been threatened.
Book
In 2010, Akıncı published ''Belediye Başkanlığı'nda 14 yıl'' ("Fourteen Years in the Mayoral Office"), that summarises his experiences as mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality.
Negotiations
A few weeks after being elected president, Mustafa Akıncı, on 11 May 2015, began negotiations directly with Republic of Cyprus president Anastasiades, on the issue of reunification. The negotiations, in which the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, and Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
were eventually to participate, The talks collapsed without an agreement being reached with both sides accusing each other of failure.[U.N. to Host Cyprus Leaders April 2, First Since Breakdown in February]
, '' U.S. News & World Report'', 27 March 2017
References
External links
* (in Turkish)
Cyprus Talks
The United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akinci, Mustafa
1947 births
Communal Democracy Party politicians
Government ministers of Northern Cyprus
Living people
Members of the Assembly of the Republic (Northern Cyprus)
Middle East Technical University alumni
Peace and Democracy Movement politicians
People from Limassol
Presidents of Northern Cyprus
Deputy prime ministers of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot politicians
Turkish Cypriot expatriates in Turkey