Cyprus holding presidential election

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123630§ionid=351020606


Turkey's European Union aspirations hang in the balance over the results of the presidential election in northern Cyprus, which is being held on Sunday.

If the breakaway region elects a hardliner, Ankara's quest to join the EU could be dealt a crippling blow, and it could even shape the future of Cyprus's fragile reunification process.

Some 164,000 Turkish Cypriots are choosing between incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat and challenger Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu.

Opinion polls have put Eroglu, a staunch supporter of Turkish Cypriot independence, in the lead.

The final results of the vote, which have to be ratified by an election council, are expected by 1800 GMT on the same day.

The winner will have to negotiate a settlement on the divided island with rival Greek Cypriots in the south who represent Cyprus in the European Union. Without a deal, the Greek Cypriots will block Ankara's bid to join the bloc.

The enclave owes its very creation to a 1974 Turkish army invasion launched after a militant Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. Since Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, Turkey has acted as guarantor of Turkish Cypriot interests and is alone in recognizing and supporting northern Cyprus.