With 52.6% of the vote, Sıla Usar İncirli not only became the first woman to lead the CTP in the history of the party of the Turkish Cypriot left, but also confirmed a long-standing pattern: no secretary-general who has sought the presidency has ever won it.

This observation is made by the news outlet Kıbrıs Postası, which reviewed the CTP’s past electoral congresses, noting that congratulations to Ms. İncirli continue to pour in.

Although the position of secretary-general within the CTP has long been regarded as a symbol of “internal institutional memory” and “organizational discipline,” it has never served as a successful stepping stone to the party presidency through elections, Kıbrıs Postası reports. It cites as examples Ferdi Sabit Soyer, then secretary-general, who lost to Özger Özgür in the mid-1990s; Kutlay Erk, who as secretary-general lost in 2011 to Özkan Yorgancıoğlu; and Yorgancıoğlu’s subsequent victory in the 2013 internal elections over the then secretary-general Asım Akansoy.

In the party’s history, it notes, only Ferdi Sabit Soyer and Tufan Erhürman were elected president unopposed, by consensus. In Mr. Erhürman’s case, this occurred most recently, during last spring’s electoral congress, when he was re-elected without a challenger, paving the way for his candidacy in the October “presidential election,” which he went on to win.

The current CTP secretary-general and rival candidate of Ms. İncirli, Erkut Şahali, congratulated the new president in a social media post, stating that the outcome of the congress was not an end but a stronger beginning, further reinforcing the party’s vision and confidence in its future.

“My commitment to the CTP, my determination to fight, and my sense of responsibility toward my party are the same today as they were yesterday, and will continue unchanged.” He thanked all party members who trusted and supported him. “Their votes, their support, and their solidarity are a great honor for me,” he said.

“Our struggle continues! We move forward together. We will win together. We will govern together…” Mr. Şahali concluded. He received 801 votes, or 32.81%. The third candidate, Asım Akansoy, received 356 votes, or 14.58%.

Party leaders and organizations have issued statements congratulating Sıla Usar İncirli. The DP leader, Fikri Ataoğlu, wished her success, while the YDP leader, Erhan Arıklı, not only congratulated her but also noted in his statement that the unity and spirit displayed at the CTP’s electoral congress should serve as a lesson for the parties of the Turkish Cypriot right.

The election of İncirli as CTP president has been very positively received by the public, observed Sibel Siber, the first woman “prime minister” and “speaker of parliament” in the north, who also came from the CTP.

Sıla Usar İncirli, beyond becoming the first woman to lead a major party in the north—and specifically on the left—could become “prime minister” if early “parliamentary elections” are held and the CTP wins.

Born in 1972 in Nicosia, she is the daughter of Naci Talat Usar, a historic figure of the Turkish Cypriot left who served as CTP secretary-general in the post-invasion years, clashed with the Denktaş regime during the 1980s, was imprisoned for his writings, and died very young at the age of 46 in 1991.

Sıla Usar İncirli studied medicine in Ankara and specialized in neurology. She has been involved in politics in recent years. She ran for “mayor” of Nicosia in the “local elections,” losing to Mehmet Harmancı, and was elected CTP spokesperson in the second round of the party’s electoral congress last spring.