Akansoy Announces Candidacy; Three Candidates in the Race

The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) will hold its Extraordinary Congress on November 30, with three candidates now officially in the running for the party leadership. Following Sıla Usar İncirli’s announcement, CTP Secretary-General Erkut Şahali and MP Asım Akansoy have also declared their candidacies. The deadline for nominations is tomorrow, and recent results from the Party Assembly and General Congress suggest a closely contested race ahead.

CTP MP Asım Akansoy announced his candidacy for party leadership during an appearance on the “Haber ve Ötesi” program, broadcast on Haber Kıbrıs Web TV and hosted by Muazzez Gazihan.

Earlier, CTP MP Sıla Usar İncirli had become the first to declare her candidacy during a large gathering organized by the party’s Nicosia District branch. Shortly after, Secretary-General and Acting Chair Erkut Şahali, who had long hinted at a potential run, also announced his bid.

The party confirmed that tomorrow is the final day to submit leadership applications, after which the list of candidates competing at the November 30 congress will be finalized.

The leadership race follows the election of former CTP leader Tufan Erhürman as President on October 19, leaving the chairmanship vacant. In line with Article 35 of the party statute, the Party Assembly decided on October 30 to hold an Extraordinary Congress to elect a new leader.

Internal competition within the CTP remains intense. In the April elections for Secretary-General, the same three figures — Şahali, Akansoy, and İncirli — faced off. That race was narrowly decided in the second round, with Şahali securing 40 votes against İncirli’s 39, becoming Secretary-General by just one vote.