Mehmet Ali Talat

From Freepedia

Mehmet Ali Talat (July 6, 1952) is the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a de facto state which controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus. He is leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party (Cumhuriyetçi Türk Partisi). He became prime minister of the controversial state in 2004, and won presidential elections on 17 April 2005 to succeed the retiring president Rauf Denktash. Talat was inaugurated on 25 April 2005.

Biography

Talat was born in Kyrenia on July 6, 1952. Completing his secondary education in Cyprus, Talat graduated from the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey.

Involved in various political activities since he was a university student, Talat continued after he returned to Cyprus, and played an important role in the establishment of Turkish Cypriot trade unions and the Turkish Cypriot Students' Youth Federation (KOGEF), becoming the first chairman of its executive board.

He also participated in the youth movement of the Republican Turkish Party, and served in various committees and organs of the RTP for many years. He served as the party secretary for Education.

Political Career in the TRNC

Note: The status of the TRNC is disputed. It is not recognised by the international community except Turkey, and as such the terms associated with politics (President, Prime Minister, elections, government, parliament) remain controversial when used in relations to the TRNC. Many opponents of the 1974 Turkish occupation of Cyprus refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the TRNC administration in Northern Cyprus. For more information, see Cyprus dispute.

Talat was the Minister of Education and Culture in the first coalition government formed by the RTP-Democrat Party (DP) Alliance after the general elections of December 1993. He undertook the same post in the second DP-RTP coalition government, and became the Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister in the third DP-RTP coalition government.

Talat was elected as the leader of the RTP on January 14, 1996, suicceeding Ozger Ozgur. After being elected to the TRNC parliament on 14 December, 2003, Talat formed another RTP-DP coalition government on January 13, 2004, at the behest of the then-TRNC President Rauf Denktaş, when the incumbent Prime minister Dervis Eroglu was unable to do so.

Winning a victory in the February 20, 2005 general elections, Talat formed the second RTP-DP coalition, serving as Prime Minister until his election as the second TRNC President on April 17, 2005, when he asked RTP Deputy Leader Ferdi Sabit Soyer to form a new government.

During the 2004 referendum on the Annan Plan to reunify Cyprus in advance of its entry to the European Union, Talat promoted a 'Yes' vote among Turkish Cypriots and the plan received overwhelming endorsement north of the Green Line. However, Tassos Papadopoulos, the President of Cyprus, opposed the plan and the Greek Cypriot community rejected it by a large majority. As a consequence, the plan was dropped, but the EU declared it would seek to implement trade concessions and other measures designed to alleviate the isolation of northern Cyprus as a reward for the Turkish Cypriot referendum result. Talat remains publicly committed to reunification, although negotations are not currently in progress on the issue.

Talat is married with two children.

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TRNC Presidency

Preceded by: Rauf Denktaş

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 2005–

Succeeded by: Incumbent

Preceded by: Dervis Eroğlu

Prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 2004–2005

Succeeded by: Ferdi Sabit Soyer