Derviş Eroğlu

Derviş Eroğlu
3rd President of Northern Cyprus
In office 23 April 2010 – 30 April 2015
Prime Minister	Hüseyin Özgürgün (Acting) İrsen Küçük Sibel Siber Özkan Yorgancıoğlu
Preceded by	Mehmet Ali Talat
Succeeded by	Mustafa Akıncı
Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus
In office 5 May 2009 – 23 April 2010
President	Mehmet Ali Talat
Preceded by	Ferdi Sabit Soyer
Succeeded by	Hüseyin Özgürgün (Acting)
In office 16 August 1996 – 13 January 2004
President	Rauf Denktaş
Preceded by	Hakkı Atun
Succeeded by	Mehmet Ali Talat
In office 19 July 1985 – 1 January 1994
President	Rauf Denktaş
Preceded by	Mustafa Çağatay
Succeeded by	Hakkı Atun
Leader of the National Unity Party
In office 29 November 2008 – 23 April 2010
Preceded by	Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu
Succeeded by	İrsen Küçük
In office 18 December 1983 – 11 February 2006
Preceded by	Mustafa Çağatay
Succeeded by	Hüseyin Özgürgün
Minister of National Education, Training and Cultural Affairs
In office 5 July 1976 – 10 May 1977
Prime Minister	Nejat Konuk
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Orhan Zihni Bilgehan
Member of the Assembly of Republic
In office 20 June 1976 – 22 April 2010
Constituency	Gazimağusa (1976, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2009)
Personal details
Born	(1938-03-07) 7 March 1938 Famagusta, British Cyprus
Political party	National Unity Party
Spouse	Meral Eroğlu
Alma mater	Istanbul University

Derviş Eroğlu (born 7 March 1938) is a Turkish Cypriot politician, who served as the president of Northern Cyprus from 2010 to 2015. Previously, he was Prime Minister from 1985 to 1994, 1996 to 2004 and again from 2009 to 2010 and twice-leader of the National Unity Party.

He served a term as Prime Minister of nearly 17 years, by this he was the longest serving Prime Minister of the country. He also holds the record of longest serving MP.

Early life and education

Eroğlu was born in Famagusta in 1938. He studied medicine at Istanbul University, graduating in 1963. He later specialised in urology.

Politics

Eroğlu meeting José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

Eroğlu entered the Assembly of the Republic of the then-Turkish Federated State of Northern Cyprus in 1976, serving as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports during 1976–77. He served as member of the de facto Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Constituent Assembly in November 1983. As the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP), he was appointed prime minister in four successive governments between 1985 and 1993 (he was opposition leader between 1994 and 1996), and from 1996 until his party lost the general election to the Republican Turkish Party under Mehmet Ali Talat in 2004. Eroğlu's UBP won the majority of seats in the legislative election of 18 April 2009, and Eroğlu became prime minister again.

On 21 November 2005, Eroğlu resigned as leader of the UBP, stating that "it was time for younger blood to take control", but was re-elected to the chair in November 2008. Eroğlu was elected to the office of President of Northern Cyprus on 18 April 2010. Because the UN does not recognize the TRNC, it regards Derviş Eroğlu as bona fide negotiator for the Turkish Cypriot community of the Republic of Cyprus.

In the 2015 general elections, he was defeated by Mustafa Akıncı.

External links

• Media related to Derviş Eroğlu at Wikimedia Commons