Tufan Erhürman (born 1970) 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 ...

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 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 ...

between 2008 and 2010. He previously worked for the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

of Turkey between 1999 and 2004 and worked for the establishment of the position of

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

in Turkey. He is the current leader of

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 ...

. He held the office of Prime Minister beginning January 2018 as the leader of a four-party coalition. The coalition government resigned on 9 May 2019, with Erhürman continuing as Prime Minister until the office was taken over by Ersin Tatar on 22 May 2019.

Education

Erhürman finished his secondary education in Türk Maarif Koleji. He was then enrolled to study law at

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

in 1988. He received his master's degree and doctorate from Ankara University as well. His 2001 PhD thesis was on the "Non-Juridical Inspection of the Authority and the Ombdusman".

Academic career

Erhürman lectured on public law 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, ...

and Hacettepe University between 1995 and 2001. He then lectured at the

Eastern Mediterranean University The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU; ) is a public university in Northern Cyprus, was established in 1979, led by Onay Fadıl Demirciler, who was then the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education. Initially founded as a technology-focus ...

from 2001 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2013. Erhürman also lectured at the Near East University between the years of 2006 and 2008.

Political career

Erhürman became involved in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute under President Mehmet Ali Talat between 2008 and 2010. He ran for a Nicosia seat at the Assembly of the Republic in the 2013 elections and became a Member of Parliament as a candidate of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces. He worked extensively to change the constitution where 23 changes were agreed by all 4 parties which were being represented in the parliament at that time. However, 62.3% of the voters rejected the new constitution in the 2014 referendum. He became the Secretary General of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces. On 13 November 2016, Erhürman became the leader of the

and thus of the main opposition. He was reelected as a Member of the Parliament during the 2018 snap elections, however he could not prevent his party from losing 9 seats. On 19 January 2018, negotiations started to form a coalition between 4 parties, the

, the People's Party, the Democratic Party and the Communal Democracy Party, ultimately succeeding in the formation of the Erhürman cabinet.

Electoral history

2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erhürman, Tufan 1970 births Living people 21st-century prime ministers of Northern Cyprus Leaders of political parties in Northern Cyprus Türk Maarif Koleji alumni Government ministers of Northern Cyprus Members of the Assembly of the Republic (Northern Cyprus) Prime ministers of Northern Cyprus Republican Turkish Party politicians People from North Nicosia Date of birth missing (living people) Turkish Cypriot expatriates in Turkey Ankara University alumni Academic staff of Middle East Technical University Academic staff of Near East University Academic staff of Eastern Mediterranean University Academic staff of Hacettepe University Turkish Cypriot academics