Al Jazeera – Turkish Cypriots in Northern Cyprus have started voting in a presidential runoff in a poll that could decide whether they gain control over their own affairs or are pulled even closer to an increasingly domineering Turkey.
The presidential vote on Sunday pits the incumbent and favourite, Mustafa Akinci, 72 – who supports reunification with the majority Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member – against the right-wing Turkish nationalist Ersin Tatar.
Tatar, 60, who advocates a two-state solution, now holds the title of prime minister in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). He has controversially received the open backing of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Under Erdogan, Turkey has become an increasingly assertive regional power that is now engaged in a bitter dispute with Greece and Cyprus over oil and gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea.
Sunday’s second-round ballot was triggered after Tatar won 32 percent of the vote on October 11 ahead of Akinci, who garnered almost 30 percent in a field of 11 candidates.
But Akinci is in a stronger position now, having won the backing of Tufan Erhurman, a fellow Social Democrat, who came third.
Tatar is courting a significant pool of voters – especially in rural areas – who may not have voted in the first round.
Turnout will be a key factor. The first round saw an all-time low voter participation of 55 percent from a 200,000-strong electorate, and some analysts say a higher turnout might favour Tatar.
