The breakaway territory of northern Cyprus has voted overwhelmingly to exchange its outgoing chief, who had the backing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, election officers mentioned Sunday.
Virtually 63% of voters within the territory, whose declare to statehood is recognised solely by Turkey, backed former prime minister Tufan Erhurman as subsequent president on the expense of Turkey’s decide, Ersin Tatar, who polled 35 p.c.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Turkish invasion following a coup in Nicosia backed by Greece’s then-military junta ultimately led to the creation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.
The internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, controls the island’s majority Greek Cypriot south.
Whereas Tatar has toed the Turkish line of two separate states on Cyprus, Erhurman has indicated he favours a federal state that would come with either side of the island.
No losers
Erhurman mentioned there have been no losers within the election and that “the Turkish Cypriot folks have received collectively”.
“I’ll train my duties, notably when it comes to international coverage, in session with the Republic of Turkey,” he mentioned, making an attempt to assuage issues from Ankara that he could attempt to break free.
Erdogan congratulated Erhurman in a put up on social media, including that Turkey would “proceed to defend the rights and sovereign pursuits” of the breakaway territory.
The final main spherical of peace talks to barter a settlement to the island’s divided standing collapsed in Switzerland in 2017.
The leaders of either side met in July on the UN headquarters in New York for talks that had been hailed as “constructive” by UN chief Antonio Guterres.
(bms)
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