Talat leads at 54% for Sunday’s poll

Mehmet Ali Talat is set to win the Turkish Cypriot presidency elections on Sunday April 17, with a poll by KADEM polling agency giving him a clear 54% of the vote.

The election therefore looks likely to be decided in the first round. As winner Talat would replace Rauf Denktash as the de facto leader of the Turish Cypriots for the first time in 40 years.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey.

Talat, who also won the parliamentary elections in February, has vowed to push ahead with negotiations to reunite Cyprus if he wins.

In a twin referendum on April 24, 2004, 66% of Turkish Cypriots accepted a UN-backed plan to reunify the island, while 76% of Greek Cypriots rejected it.

Talat is also pushing for the adoption of the two EU packages on financial aid and trade with EU countries but the package on trade has been blocked by the Republic of Cyprus (de facto Greek Cypriot) government.

The candidate running in second place with 26% is Dervis Eroglu of the Party of National Unity (UBP). Formerly prime minister, he is backed by outgoing president Rauf Denktash, who opposes all attempts at reunification.

In third place is Mustafa Arabacioglu of the Democratic Party (DP) with 9%. The DP is led by Denktash’s son, Serdar Denktash and is in coalition with Talat’s CTp.

Under Turkish Cypriot rules the president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has the task of chief negotiator for the Cyprus problem.

KADEM’s results were based on face-to-face interviews with 1,472 adults in Northern Cyprus, conducted between March 23 to March 27, 2005.