Opposition Candidate Wins Northern Cyprus Presidential Vote
Tufan Erhurman and his wife Nilden Erhurman cast their ballots at a polling station during the Turkish Cypriot leadership election in Nicosia on Oct. 19.
Photographer: Birol Bebek/AFP/Getty ImagesCypriots living in the Turkish-controlled north elected Tufan Erhurman, an advocate of reunification for the divided island, as president in a vote held on Sunday, according to unofficial results announced by the top election board.
The Republican Turkish Party leader becomes the new president of the self-proclaimed Turkish Cypriot state recognized only by Ankara, with 62.76% of the vote, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The National Unity Party leader and current president, Ersin Tatar, who supports a two-state solution, got 35.81%. The participation rate was 64.87%, the election board said.