Newsroom
The electoral process in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus for the selection of the new Turkish Cypriot leader concluded at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Early results indicate a lead for Tufan Erhürman. According to the “president” of the so-called “Supreme Electoral Council,” Bertan Özardağ, Erhürman is receiving 63.58 percent of the “vote,” compared with Ersin Tatar’s 35.27 percent, with ballots counted from 580 of the total 777 “ballot boxes.”
Counting began immediately after the close of the “polls,” while voter turnout reportedly stood at 48.19 percent.
Supporters of Erhürman have begun gathering in the occupied areas to celebrate what they believe is his victory.
According to the results released so far, Mehmet Hasgüler received 0.23 percent, Osman Zorba 0.32 percent, Arif Salih Kırdağ 0.34 percent, Ahmet Boran 0.15 percent, İbrahim Yazıcı 0.24 percent, and Hüseyin Gürlek 0.18 percent.
Meanwhile, the “police” in the occupied areas announced that by 4 p.m., “legal proceedings” had been initiated against 10 individuals for alleged violations of the “electoral law.” These reportedly involved attempts to photograph the “ballot paper,” entering the voting booth with a mobile phone, publicly disclosing a “vote,” and photographing a “polling station” without permission.
Under the so-called “constitution,” a candidate must secure an absolute majority of valid “votes” to be declared the winner in the first round. If no candidate achieves more than 50 percent, a second round will take place next Sunday between the top two contenders.
