Former TRNC president Mehmet Ali Talat is almost certain to be chosen by his party to run for the presidency once again in the upcoming elections in April 2015, ‘Kibris Postasi’ reports.
The left-wing Republican Turkish Party (CTP) is due to announce their candidate for next year’s presidential election on August 28, but already sources close to the party have said that they are “99,99%” decided that Mehmet Ali Talat, who was the TRNC’s second president between 2005-2010, will be declared as the party’s candidate.
The claim made by ‘Kibris Postasi’ comes shortly after speculation that the CTP was also considering Parliamentary Speaker Dr Sibel Siber, who served briefly as caretaker Prime Minister after former Prime Minister Irsen Kucuk’s government collapsed last year.
Talat, who is a keen supporter of establishing a bi-zonal federal state in Cyprus with the Greek Cypriots, promoted a ‘Yes’ vote among Turkish Cypriots during the 2004 Annan Plan referendum to reunite the island’s two peoples, but the attempt failed when the vast majority of Greek Cypriots voted against it.
After the failed referendum, Talat remained publicly committed to reunification, but the pro-solutionist side lost momentum due to a lack of progress and broken promises from the European Union about ending the isolation of the TRNC, which is only recognised by Turkey.
Talat was voted out of office after losing an election to former prime minister and rival right-wing UBP candidate Dervis Eroglu in 2010.
