Hard-liner claims victory in key Turkish Cypriot leadership election, says will work for peace

Hard-liner claims victory in Turkish Cypriot poll

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A hard-liner has claimed victory in a key Turkish Cypriot leadership election and vows to continue peace talks with rival Greek Cypriots.

Dervis Eroglu addressed supporters who congregated outside his party headquarters Sunday, saying that he will represent the Turkish Cypriot people at negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided island.

Many feared that an Eroglu win over leftist incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat could lead peace talks to collapse, jeopardizing Turkey’s European Union membership bid. Eroglu advocates separate sovereignty for the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, which internationally-recognized Greek Cypriots reject.

Cyprus was split into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A hardline challenger was projected to win the Turkish Cypriot leadership election, official results indicated Sunday, raising fears that peace talks with Greek Cypriots could collapse and scuttle Turkey’s bid for European Union membership.

The results posted on the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Board’s Web site gave right-winger Dervis Eroglu 50.36 percent of the vote, with nearly 96 percent of ballots counted. Leftist incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat trailed with 42.84 percent.

Seven candidates ran in the election and Eroglu was gaining enough votes to put him over the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid an April 25 runoff with Talat.

Nonetheless, it was a close race for Eroglu despite opinion polls that had consistently predicted him to win by a wide margin.

Eroglu supporters rushed into the 72-year-old veteran politician’s party headquarters honking horns as victory celebrations got under way.

The island’s division is already hampering Turkey’s EU drive and could halt it if the peace talks collapse. Since Turkey is a NATO member such a move also could cripple closer cooperation between the military alliance and the EU and increase regional instability.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared the independent republic in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it, and maintains 35,000 troops there.

Cyprus joined the EU divided in 2004, with only the internationally recognized south’s 800,000 Greek Cypriots enjoying membership benefits. The island’s division is already blocking parts of Turkey’s EU membership negotiation process because of Ankara’s refusal to recognize the Greek Cypriot government.

Eroglu’s resurgence was mainly due to public disillusionment with Talat, whom many Turkish Cypriots fault for not delivering on a promise of a swift deal after opening negotiations with Christofias 19 months ago.

“Dervis Eroglu will win because he is the one who will support our rights as Turkish Cypriots. The talks will continue and we will fight for our rights,” said retired policeman Mehmet Salih on Sunday.

Although Eroglu insists he would continue peace talks, he’s at odds with an agreement between Talat and Christofias envisioning a future partnership under a federal roof.

Eroglu insists on separate sovereignty for the breakaway north, something that Christofias has warned he wouldn’t accept.

“I voted for Mehmet Ali Talat because I believe in peace and unity in Cyprus,” said first-time voter Baris Unel. “The vision of Mr. Eroglu, you can see he doesn’t want peace, he doesn’t have a vision for a solution,” said the 18-year-old student, whose first name means ‘peace’ in Turkish.

The Turkish government has been careful not to take sides in the election, but has made clear that peace talks must continue regardless of the winner.

“There are negotiations under way and with those negotiations it is essential that a decisive position continues to be kept for the future of northern Cyprus,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Antalya on Saturday.