Fahir Hamzaoglu

Fahir Yücel Hamzaoglu (1 February 1924 - 9 November 2013) was a statesman and lawyer from Vrachiapolis. A co-founder of the Peace and Prosperity Party (PPP), he served as the first President of Vrachiapolis from 1971 to 1979.

Early life and education
Hamzaoglu was born on 1 March 1924, in, to Turkish Cypriots, before moving to Vrachiapolis when he was a baby. He attended the Lascelles College from 1937 to 1942, where he played trombone in the school band and was a member of the student government. In 1944, Hamzaoglu entered, and studied at , where he met fellow Vrachiapolians Baha Çakmak, Stylianos Katsanevas and Costas Gavras.

Hamzaoglu graduated from Oxford with a BA in law in 1949. He returned to Vrachiapolis soon after, and was called to the Vrachiapolis bar on 9 November 1952.

Political career
As anti-British sentiment increased, there were more strikes and riots against British rule in Vrachiapolis and thus more trials in court. Hamzaoglu was the defense lawyer and argued for the trade unions, becoming successful in overturning many labour-related convictions. His success caused him to be labeled by the British press as a "Marxist revolutionary" who wanted Vrachiapolis to be a "Soviet puppet state".

In 1956, he argued in the defense for the Vrachiapolis rail riots, when VMTS workers protested against working conditions, new hours, and racism by the British government. When the trial went in favour of the prosecutors: the British, Hamzaoglu declared that "I will never stop fighting for Vrachiapolis until it is out of colonial hands". He quickly gained popularity in the Vrachiapolis independence movement and he decided to do something to force the British to end their rule.

On 3 November 1962, he founded the PPP with his college friends Baha Çakmak, Stylianos Katsanevas and Costas Gavras. Hamzaoglu was the most outspoken and popular co-founder among the Vrachiapolian peoples, and in 1963 he was elected leader of the PPP.

Later life and death
Following his presidency, Hamzaoglu became the Senior Minister of the Çakmak Cabinet, a position he held until 1985.

Hamzaoglu died on 9 November 2013 of kidney failure. A day of mourning was declared, and a state funeral was held.