Turkish Cypriots go to the polls on Sunday 

MORE than 175,000 Turkish Cypriots are expected to elect the next president of the so-called ‘TRNC’ in Sunday’s poll, which is contested by seven politicians.

Polling will begin early on Sunday morning and first results expected early in the evening.
If no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote, there will be a run-off election among the leading two the following Sunday, April 26, with all indications suggesting that this is the most likely scenario.
The candidates are: Mustafa Akinci, Arif Salih Kirdag, Mustafa Ulas, Kudret Ozersay and incumbent Dervis Eroglu, all of whom are running as independent. Sibel Siber is backed by the Turkish Republican Party and Mustafa Onourer by the Socialist party.
The leader of the Turkish Cypriot community acts as its representative at the UN-backed peace talks, which are expected to resume in May.
According to the latest opinion poll, published by the Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi, conducted by Metropoll earlier on April, Eroglu is ahead with 39.2 per cent, followed by Siber at 27.6 per cent, Akinci close behind with 22.6 per cent and Ozersay at 9 per cent.
Most voters live in the Turkish occupied part of Nicosia district, followed by Famagusta in the east, Kyrenia in the north, Morphou in the west and Trikomo in the Karpass peninsula.

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