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, followed by Derviş Eroğlu,[2] then Mustafa Akıncı, and the current president, Ersin Tatar.

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı (Turkish)
Presidential Seal
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Ersin Tatar since 23 October 2020
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
Salary	₺45,000 annually (2021)[1]
Website	www.kktcb.org

Politics of Northern Cyprus
Constitution
Executive President Ersin Tatar Prime Minister (list) Ersan Saner List of cabinets of Northern Cyprus
Legislature Assembly of the Republic Speaker Teberrüken Uluçay Political parties
Elections Recent elections Presidential: 2015 2020 Parliamentary: 2018 2022
Administrative divisions First level: Six districts Second level: Twelve sub-districts Third level: Twenty-eight municipalities
Foreign relations United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus Turkish invasion of Cyprus Politics of Cyprus Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Diplomatic missions of / in Northern Cyprus
Other countries

The president is elected every five years. Presidential elections are held in two rounds if no candidate gains more than 50% of the votes in the first round. It is necessary that the president is originated from the island of Cyprus. The president must have lived in the country for five years, received secondary education and be over 30 years old.[3]

The presidency is not a ceremonial position in the semi-presidential political system of Northern Cyprus. The president reserves the right to dismiss the Assembly of the Republic in case a government cannot be formed within sixty days or three successive governments receive votes of no confidence. They also can preside over the Council of Ministers if they wish to do so, approve the appointments of the judges and president of the Supreme Court and have the right to send laws approved by the Assembly of the Republic to the Supreme Court. The president has also traditionally been the chief negotiator for the resolution of the Cyprus dispute and been responsible for the foreign relations of Northern Cyprus.[4]

The president is represented by the speaker of the Assembly of the Republic when the president is abroad.[3]

The most recent presidential election was held on 11 October 2020. Ersin Tatar is the current president.[5]