Sertaç Sonan: Federation Should Not Be Turned Into a “Bogeyman” for Political Campaigns

Speaking on Sabahın Haberleri on Kıbrıs Postası TV, Sonan argued that President Ersin Tatar’s domestic policy promises fall outside the constitutional powers of the presidency and that his “Active Diplomacy” slogan lacks coherence.

Sonan described the parliamentary motion endorsing a two-state solution as “a politically weak move,” noting that Tatar’s campaign “portrays federation as a threat,” while a viable solution for the island could only be reached “within the framework of UN parameters and through negotiations between the two communities.”

Highlighting that the president has no authority over internal affairs, Sonan said Tatar’s campaign promises — such as building hospitals in every district and introducing 5G infrastructure — were misleading. “Unfortunately, Tatar has achieved nothing in his five years in office,” he remarked, suggesting that the “Active Diplomacy” narrative was an attempt to fill that gap.

Commenting on CTP leader and presidential candidate Tufan Erhürman’s stance, Sonan said, “Given the circumstances, Erhürman’s shift toward the center seems natural,” emphasizing that meaningful dialogue on any settlement model remains absent. “You need two people to tango, and the other side doesn’t seem willing,” he added.

On the two-state motion passed by parliament, Sonan said the decision was “an act of disrespect to voters” by a “legitimacy- and credibility-challenged parliament,” calling it “an attempt to influence voters just a week before the election.”

Sonan concluded that federation should not be exploited as campaign propaganda: “If federation was once the Turkish thesis, then portraying it now as something that would turn Turkish Cypriots into a minority is both inconsistent and dangerous. Federation has always been the model endorsed by the UN and accepted by the Turkish Cypriot community in the Annan Referendum. It should not be reduced to a political scarecrow during an election.”