Ersin Tatar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faiz Sucuoğlu
Ünal Üstel
Ersin Tatar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tatar in 2025 | |
| 5th President of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 23 October 2020 – 24 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Ersan Saner Faiz Sucuoğlu Ünal Üstel |
| Preceded by | Mustafa Akıncı |
| Succeeded by | Tufan Erhürman |
| 13th Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus | |
| In office 22 May 2019 – 23 October 2020 | |
| President | Mustafa Akıncı |
| Preceded by | Tufan Erhürman |
| Succeeded by | Ersan Saner |
| Leader of the National Unity Party | |
| In office 30 October 2018 – 23 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Hüseyin Özgürgün |
| Succeeded by | Ersan Saner |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 30 October 2018 – 22 May 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Tufan Erhürman |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic | |
| In office 19 April 2009 – 23 October 2020 | |
| Constituency | Lefkoşa (2009, 2013, 2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1960 Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Party | National Unity Party (2003–2020) |
| Spouse | Sibel Tatar |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Forest School, Walthamstow |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Ersin Tatar (born 7 September 1960) is a Turkish Cypriot politician who served as the fifth President of Northern Cyprus from 2020 to 2025. He previously served as the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus following the collapse of Tufan Erhürman's coalition government in 2019, and remained so until his election as president.[1] He was also the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) and Leader of the Opposition from 2018 until his election.[2]
Tatar comes from a family of Crimean Tatars who left Crimea in the 19th century and eventually moved to Cyprus.[3] Tatar was born in Nicosia on 7 September 1960, the son of Canev and Rüstem Tatar.[4] His father was also a politician.[5] He was sent to England to attend Forest School, a private boarding school in Walthamstow,[4][6] then earned an economics degree from Cambridge University's Jesus College in 1982.[7][8]
Pre-politics career
From 1982 to 1986, Tatar worked as a chartered accountant for PriceWaterhouse in London. From 1986 to 1991, he worked for Polly Peck, and was the company's assistant treasurer when it collapsed with debts of £1.3 billion.[9] In the resulting trial that led to CEO Asil Nadir receiving a 10-year jail term, it was alleged that Tatar had "assisted Mr. Nadir in the dishonest movement of money from PPI and enjoyed a close working relationship with the Polly Peck boss".[9] When Tatar visited the UK in 2019, for the first time since 1991, there was concern that he might be arrested for his role in the scandal; however, the government's Serious Fraud Office said that this was "no longer in the public interest".[10]
In 1991, Tatar moved to Ankara, where he worked at FMC Nurol Defense Industry Co. until 1992. From 1992 to 2001, he was the general coordinator of Show TV, a Turkish television channel owned by Ciner Media Group.[5] In 1996, he founded the television channel Kanal T in Nicosia.[5] He was also an active member of the Cypriot diaspora community in Turkey, and was chair of the Istanbul Turkish Cypriot Cultural Association from 1997 to 2001.[7][11]
