Jean Christou
TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash topped the first round of voting in Saturday’s ‘presidential’ elections but failed to secure the 50 per cent he needed to beat ‘Prime Minister’ Dervis Eroglu in the first round.
Amid accusations of dirty dealings and election law-breaking on both sides, Denktash secured 43.7 per cent of the vote to Eroglu’s 30.1 per cent, leading to a run-off between the two on Saturday.
Denktash, 76, on Sunday appealed to voters to place their trust in his experience, particularly on the Cyprus issue.
"You know that the person who wins the election will perform a duty of vital importance to your future and freedom," Denktash said in a written statement. "Since I will be in preparatory meetings we have started for the New York talks on May 23, I will not be among you as much as I was for the first round. I trust you however my brothers."
Turnout was down almost five per cent on the last elections in 1995, with 81.02 per cent of the electorate going to the polls on Saturday.
Denktash and Eroglu each claimed victory in Saturday’s election, and both scored higher than they had done in 1995, Denktash by 3.27 per cent and Eroglu by six per cent. Each claimed he would win on Saturday.
Denktash said the results were important as they showed to the world that the people had confidence in him. In reality there are few policy divisions between the two men.
The Turkish Cypriot leader is banking on his years of experience on the Cyprus issue, while Eroglu will hope for the joint support of the parties if they unite against Denktash.
Speaking on television after voting ended, Denktash claimed that members of the Eroglu’s family had been seen giving money to various people the night before the elections.
He also claimed that members of Eroglu’s National Unity Party (NUP) party had interfered with his campaign in the villages.
Eroglu, interviewed by the same reporter a minute later, claimed those were Denktash’s tactics.
Mustafa Akinci, whose Communal Liberation Party (CPL) is already in a coalition with Eroglu, and who received 11.7 per cent of the vote on Saturday, said his party would play a key role in the second round.
Republican Turkish Party (RTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat, who garnered a disappointing 10.03 per cent, said the elections had failed to reflect the true will of the people.
He complained about interference from Turkey and told journalists there was little to choose between the two candidates, saying who his party backed in the second round would depend on certain conditions. The elections, he said, had been tainted with "blackmail, pressure and threats".
