Derviş Eroğlu
No candidate has emerged victorious from the Turkish Cypriot presidential election, with incumbent Derviş Eroğlu joined in a run-off contest by Mustafa Akıncı.
Mr Eroğlu topped the poll with 28.18 percent of the vote, but Mr Akıncı was a close second on 26.92%. Barely a thousand votes separated the two
Parliament speaker Sibel Siber, who generated excitement as the first major woman candidate in a Turkish Cypriot election, came a disappointing third with 22.54%. She was almost pipped to the post by independent Kudret Özersay, the former Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator, who exceeded expectations by winning 21.23%.
Mustafa Akıncı
Mr Eroğlu emerged as the winning candidate in Famagusta and İskele, while Mr Akıncı topped the poll in Girne (Kyrenia) and the capital Nicosia.
As the results became clear, speculation switched to whether the losing candidates would endorse anyone still in the contest.
Ms Siber’s Republican Turkish Party (CTP) swiftly endorsed Mr Akıncı over the right-wing Mr Eroğlu, although Mr Özersay declared his result represented the dawn of a “new politics” and refused to instruct his supporters on their voting choice.
But analysts believe Ms Siber’s support, and that of former Turkish Cypriot president Mehmet Ali Talat, will be sufficient to secure a Mustafa Akıncı in the run-off poll, which will be held this coming Sunday, 26 April.