Post by Bozur on Apr 10, 2005 0:28:32 GMT -5
Pro-unification party takes lead in Turkish-Cypriot poll
Outcome seen as influencing Ankara’s EU membership ambitions
EPA
An elderly Turkish settler casts his vote in the Turkish part of Nicosia yesterday. Parliamentary elections began yesterday in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus where 147,000 eligible voters will decide the fate of Mehmet Ali Talat’s 14-month-old coalition.
By Alex Efty - The Associated Press
NICOSIA - The governing party of Mehmet Ali Talat, which supports efforts to reunify the divided island of Cyprus, took an early lead in yesterday's parliamentary elections in the breakaway Turkish-Cypriot state, according to results reported by Turkey's NTV television.
With 18 percent of the ballot boxes counted, Talat's Republican Turkish Party had almost 46 percent of the vote, while the National Unity Party of Dervis Eroglu, which opposed a UN plan for reunifying the island, had around 31 percent, NTV said. Talat currently rules as part of a coalition government.
The Democratic Party of Serdar Denktash, Talat's current coalition partner, took nearly 14 percent of the vote, while a smaller pro-reunification party was hovering around the 5 percent threshold needed to gain seats in Parliament, the results showed.
It wasn't clear if Talat had secured enough votes to govern alone or would have to form another coalition.
Final results are expected around midnight (local time).
«Today our people will speak,» Talat was quoted as saying by Turkey's Anatolia news agency after voting earlier in the day. «The election will strengthen democracy and the Turkish-Cypriot people's desire will determine the shape of policies after this, its path, and administration.»
Talat's party has 18 seats, while Eroglu's party has 20 in the outgoing 50-seat Parliament.
Talat hopes to win a clear majority so he can form his own government, ending his current uneasy coalition with the Democratic Party of Denktash which is less willing to make concessions to reunify Cyprus. The party holds five seats in the outgoing Parliament.
Turnout was slow in the Turkish-occupied sector of Nicosia, where streets were festooned in the bright green flags and «For Peace and Unity» slogans of Talat's party.
Posters with Eroglu's picture were pasted on storefront and apartment walls throughout the area.
Turkish mainland settlers were visible at polling stations: men with traditional baggy Turkish trousers, and women wearing the head-to-toe black chadors common among devout Muslims.
The election has international implications, particularly for Turkey and the European Union. Turkey could tout a sizable Talat victory as evidence that the Cyprus conflict, which has hindered its EU membership ambitions, is perpetuated by Greek Cypriots.
But a strong Eroglu showing could be seen in Europe as a sign that Turkey is not doing enough to encourage reconciliation.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=53200
Outcome seen as influencing Ankara’s EU membership ambitions
EPA
An elderly Turkish settler casts his vote in the Turkish part of Nicosia yesterday. Parliamentary elections began yesterday in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus where 147,000 eligible voters will decide the fate of Mehmet Ali Talat’s 14-month-old coalition.
By Alex Efty - The Associated Press
NICOSIA - The governing party of Mehmet Ali Talat, which supports efforts to reunify the divided island of Cyprus, took an early lead in yesterday's parliamentary elections in the breakaway Turkish-Cypriot state, according to results reported by Turkey's NTV television.
With 18 percent of the ballot boxes counted, Talat's Republican Turkish Party had almost 46 percent of the vote, while the National Unity Party of Dervis Eroglu, which opposed a UN plan for reunifying the island, had around 31 percent, NTV said. Talat currently rules as part of a coalition government.
The Democratic Party of Serdar Denktash, Talat's current coalition partner, took nearly 14 percent of the vote, while a smaller pro-reunification party was hovering around the 5 percent threshold needed to gain seats in Parliament, the results showed.
It wasn't clear if Talat had secured enough votes to govern alone or would have to form another coalition.
Final results are expected around midnight (local time).
«Today our people will speak,» Talat was quoted as saying by Turkey's Anatolia news agency after voting earlier in the day. «The election will strengthen democracy and the Turkish-Cypriot people's desire will determine the shape of policies after this, its path, and administration.»
Talat's party has 18 seats, while Eroglu's party has 20 in the outgoing 50-seat Parliament.
Talat hopes to win a clear majority so he can form his own government, ending his current uneasy coalition with the Democratic Party of Denktash which is less willing to make concessions to reunify Cyprus. The party holds five seats in the outgoing Parliament.
Turnout was slow in the Turkish-occupied sector of Nicosia, where streets were festooned in the bright green flags and «For Peace and Unity» slogans of Talat's party.
Posters with Eroglu's picture were pasted on storefront and apartment walls throughout the area.
Turkish mainland settlers were visible at polling stations: men with traditional baggy Turkish trousers, and women wearing the head-to-toe black chadors common among devout Muslims.
The election has international implications, particularly for Turkey and the European Union. Turkey could tout a sizable Talat victory as evidence that the Cyprus conflict, which has hindered its EU membership ambitions, is perpetuated by Greek Cypriots.
But a strong Eroglu showing could be seen in Europe as a sign that Turkey is not doing enough to encourage reconciliation.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=53200