Talat returns to the fold

Mehmet Ali Talat

Mehmet Ali Talat, the former Turkish Cypriot president and prime minister, was re-elected to the leadership of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) after a ten year absence.

Taking a vast majority of the votes at his party’s congress, he assumes the leadership of the largest political grouping in the Turkish Cypriot assembly.

But Mr Talat is not a member of the parliament, meaning he cannot become prime minister. He is expected to nominate an ally to assume that role but will conduct coalition negotiations himself.

He said renewing and rejuvenating the party was his main goal, adding it was their debt to society to bring faith back to the CTP party.

He added that the party was a “pioneer for change and one of their missions was the resolution of the Cyprus problem”.

Mr Talat was a vociferous ‘Yes’ campaigner during the 2004 referendum on the Annan Plan to united the two sides of the island in a looser confederation.

His approach, which went against that of then-Turkish Cypriot Rauf Denktaş, was endorsed by the Turkish Cypriot who voting by a two-thirds margin in favour of the plan.

Turkish Cypriots subsequently elected him president in 2005.