Turkish Cypriot premier to seek presidency

By Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - The prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was nominated on Saturday to be the country's next president.

The candidacy of Ersin Tatar for April’s elections was announced by the National Unity Party, which Tatar also chairs.

In a speech, Tatar thanked his party for the nomination, saying: “This struggle is our struggle. It made me very happy that you unanimously chose me for this race.”

He stressed that the election will be very important for the TRNC.

“We will work together and will win the election with the best result. Our nation has great expectations of us,” he added.

In 1974, following a coup aiming at Cyprus’s annexation by Greece, Turkey had to intervene as a guarantor power, eventually leading to the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.

* Writing by Davut Demircan