TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash was officially proclaimed ‘president’ for the sixth consecutive term yesterday, after rival ‘Prime Minister’ Dervis Eroglu pulled out of the second round of elections on Wednesday night.
Denktash immediately called on Eroglu to resign as ‘Prime Minister’, after a bitter election campaign fraught with controversy on both sides.
"A prime minister who said he has no faith in me… will be trying to undermine me behind my back. Our people do not deserve this," Denktash said.
But it remains to be seen how Denktash can legally persuade Eroglu to step down.
Eroglu’s National Unity Party, (the NUP) is the largest single party in the ‘parliament’ of north Cyprus, occupying 24 out of 50 seats.
Many NUP party supporters are still reeling from Eroglu’s shock decision on Wednesday.
One property owner in Kyrenia and NUP activist said, "no one believes Eroglu willingly withdrew".
Conspiracy theories, accusations of partisanship and vote buying are rife, but as nothing can be proved they remain only speculation.
One Turkish Cypriot journalist said he expected more information to emerge over the next few days.
Denktash supporters, however, are insisting that democracy has won, citing it as any candidate’s democratic and legitimate right to withdraw at the last minute.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit yesterday congratulated Denktash – always Ankara’s favourite – on his victory.
"Your leadership is a guarantee of peace and tranquillity in Cyprus," he said.
Ankara denied any influence in Eroglu’s withdrawal, referring to it as an "internal matter" separate from their concerns.
"While it’s not the desired outcome for either Denktash or Eroglu, the feeling is that the election is over and it’s time to move on, tackle internal economic problems and prepare for the third round of UN sponsored proximity talks in New York next month," Reuters journalist Gokhan Tezgor told the Cyprus Mail.
"To be honest it would have been illogical anyway for Denktash not to be in New York, regardless of the outcome of the presidential elections," he added.
Denktash has been the Turkish Cypriot leader for the last 24 years. His sixth ‘presidential’ term, and his call for Eroglu’s resignation are unlikely to abate criticisms of his ‘democratic dictatorship’.
