Hardliner win confirmed in Turkish Cyprus elections

Istanbul - The final tally of votes from Sunday's presidential elections in Northern Cyprus show that Dervis Eroglu, a hardliner who has expressed his skepticism about the divided island's ongoing peace talks, has won.

According to results posted on the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Board's web site, Eroglu won 50.3 percent of the vote, compared to just under 43 percent for the incumbent, Mehmet Ali Talat.

A run-off would have been required if no candidate received over 50 percent.

Eroglu, leader of the National Unity Party (UBP), has stated that, if elected, he would revisit the ongoing reunification talks being conducted by Talat.

Talat, leader of the left-leaning Republican Turkish Party (CTP), supports reunification of the island, which has been split into Greek and Turkish sides since 1974. Eroglu has said he would like to see a two-state confederation.

Turkey's troubled EU-membership drive is inextricably tied up in the Cyprus problem.

The Greek-speaking south of the island joined the bloc in 2004, and has since used its position in Brussels to frequently stymie Ankara's EU bid.

Turkey, meanwhile, is using its NATO membership to strike back, blocking enhanced cooperation between the EU and the defense alliance in protest of what it sees as Brussels' being held captive to the Cypriot agenda.

EU officials are also pressuring Turkey to open up its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels, something Ankara has so far resisted doing.

Some 164,000 Turkish Cypriots were eligible to vote. Observers say much of Eroglu's popularity can be attributed to Turkish Cypriots' sense of being betrayed by the international community after they voted in favor of a 2004 United Nations plan to reunite the island. The Greek Cypriots rejected the plan.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319407,hardliner-win-confirmed-in-turkish-cyprus-elections.html.