The real loser is not Ersin Tatar!

Let's speak plainly.

The loser of the presidential election in the TRNC is Tayyip Erdoğan.

Just as it was in the last two local elections in Turkey!

At that time, the opponent of all CHP candidates, especially İmamoğlu, was not actually the names put forward by the AKP.

The person they were fighting tooth and nail against was Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who held all the resources of the state in his hands, set aside his "impartial President" hat, appeared at rally squares as the AKP Chairman, and openly asked for votes for himself.

The AKP's candidates could not even be extras during the election process; they could not go beyond playing the role of stage decor.

Today, no one remembers their names.

The same thing happened in the TRNC. Contrary to what appeared on the surface, Tufan Erhürman did not compete against Ersin Tatar.

His real opponent was Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

One must look at the election results from this perspective.

The Palace in Beştepe mobilized months in advance for Ersin Tatar to win.

As if the ballot box were to be set up in Turkey!

They made all their calculations accordingly.

Just as in 2020, they deployed all their resources to the field. Those who received the order—the athletes, the pop stars, the officials, the unofficial figures, the so-called journalists, the trolls, the noble, the ignoble, whoever they put money in the pockets of—flocked to the Island.

As always, the Embassy took every kind of measure we know, don't know, and couldn't know to ensure that the candidate supported by Ankara emerged from the ballot box.

Campaigns were conducted through the media in both Turkey and the TRNC.

They even sought help from that self-proclaimed miracle worker known as Cübbeli Ahmet.

But it didn't work.

For the first time in TRNC history, a candidate backed by Turkey lost. The result from the ballot box broke the mold; despite the AKP throwing all its weight behind Ersin Tatar, Tufan Erhürman crossed the finish line first.

And in the first round, with a record number of votes.

It is extremely important to read this result correctly in political terms!

This is the collapse of the 'Cyprus Model' that the AKP has been trying to build for a long time. It is even more than that; it is a turning point in the history of Cyprus.

Let us underline this with a thick pen.

The government also made a strategic mistake in Cyprus politics by turning the process into a referendum and, moreover, squeezing it between "federation" and "two-state solution."

Now, who will come out and say "two-state solution" against the will expressed by the Turkish Cypriot people? Is it incompetence, ignorance, lack of foresight, or the habit of constantly hitting the ball as it comes, with the laziness of "we'll see about what happens later"?

Of course, everyone must now fully understand that the Turkish Cypriot people have completely lost their patience with the political Islamist mentality in Turkey.

Let's put on our reading glasses:

There is an incredible sense of weariness among the people.

This tiny piece of land has practically become the center of gambling, drugs, prostitution, and illegal virtual betting. It is a geography where anyone who breaks loose comes, where the mafia runs wild, and which also feeds the political extensions of these in Turkey...

There is more. Let us not overlook the fact that the government has turned the TRNC into a laboratory for political and cultural colonization over the years. And in this laboratory, the AKP tested ideological transformation most heavily through religious education and female identity. It ignored the history, culture, sociology, traditions, customs, political behavior patterns, and lifestyle of the Turkish Cypriot people. For nearly a quarter of a century, it did whatever was necessary to transform people in line with its own Islamist ideology.

The AKP's dominance over the TRNC was not just politics; it was a social engineering project.

Let us list the main points and make a note for history:

Starting from the 2010s, it turned toward the TRNC through the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the Maarif Foundation, and Faculties of Theology.

Religious courses were expanded in scope. Imam Hatip-style schools, special programs, and scholarships were put into effect.

Mosques and religious associations became tools for "adopting the Turkey model," especially among the younger generation.

Turkish Cypriots saw this as a silent assimilation attempt. The secular segment and unions reacted sharply!

This was not education; it was a cultural and ideological export from Turkey to Cyprus!

They also brought the never-ending issue of headscarf grievances to the TRNC with a strategic approach. "Living spaces suitable for headscarves" were created in universities through scholarship and dormitory systems.

However, such an issue did not exist and had never existed in the secular and free Cypriot culture!

The AKP initiated an identity polarization over women's bodies and clothing. Media and politics artificially exported the "religious vs. secular" dilemma to Cyprus.

Thus, two different perceptions of the world were formed in the new generation. On one side, the youth who adopted Ankara's ideological line, and on the other, the youth who wanted to protect their free identity. For the first time in history, this created a serious fault line in Cyprus over religion and ideology.

The most visible aspect of the AKP's dominance in the TRNC was through bureaucracy and the media.

For years, delegations from Turkey directed state institutions, organized the media, and tied the distribution of economic aid to political conditions.

It turned the TRNC economy into a control mechanism. Aid, loans, and investments were distributed through "compliant candidates." Dissenting voices faced an "economic discipline" that blocked or delayed their projects.

In other words, not just the mind and identity, but the behavior of everyone with money in their pocket became dependent on Ankara.

But in the eyes of the public, this was not "aid," but pressure under a mandate.

During the election process, while the media in Turkey glorified Ersin Tatar as the "guardian of the Blue Homeland," it constantly labeled Erhürman and the pro-federationists as "Greek-friendly" and "anti-Turkey."

The struggle for the election was fought not only at the ballot box but also in the minds.

In short, the cup finally overflowed...

Turkish Cypriots had been experiencing an increasing "intervention fatigue" in recent years. The finger-wagging by those in Ankara during every crisis, the messages of "you wouldn't exist if it weren't for us," the constant transformation of economic dependence into a tool of political pressure...

Let's get to the point.

The result from the ballot box is not just a political success; it is an extremely important message delivered beyond that:

"We are not subjects of Tayyip Erdoğan; we make our own decisions."

The ideological structure built with religion, education, headscarves, and economic tools did not find a response at the ballot box. The Turkish Cypriot people, with their free will, expressed their demand for a "future independent of the AKP."

Now, let's get to the ten-point expert question: Could Tufan Erhürman's victory in the TRNC be a signal flare for an election to be held in Turkey in 2028 or earlier?

Leaving the answer to the reader's discernment, let us put a period to our article.