Zeki Celer elected new TDP leader

Zeki Celer was elected as leader of north opposition political party the TDP on Sunday.

Celer was elected unopposed at the party’s conference, replacing Mine Atli in the role.

Speaking at the conference, Celer said the party is engaging in “clean politics”, adding that while TDP members have held various positions of power, “the position of prime minister is missing from this list.

“Now is not the time to be humble,” he added, saying that “the only direction in which we can go is up!”

He said the TDP is now “starting its campaign with a bang” and called for the ‘government’ to announce an early ‘parliamentary’ election, while also defending the party’s support for a federal solution to the Cyprus problem.

The TDP is the party of current Turkish Cypriot Nicosia Mayor Mehmet Harmanci and former Turkish Cypriot Leader Mustafa Akinci but lost all its seats in ‘parliament’ at the last election in January 2022.

It has since reunited with the TKP-YG party, which split from it in 2016 following disagreements with then-TDP leader Cemal Ozyigit.

Zeki Celer served as ‘labour minister’ when the TDP were last in ‘government’, as part of the four-party coalition with the CTP, the DP, and the HP.

‘Parliamentary’ elections in the north must be held by February 2027.