High hopes for peace as Ak?nc? elected as new president of Turkish Cypriots

A leftist moderate promising to press for a peace deal in ethnically-split Cyprus swept to victory in the presidential election run-off in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on April 26.

Mustafa Ak?nc?, standing as an independent, won 60.3 percent of the votes, according to figures provided by the election commission. His rival was incumbent president Dervi? Ero?lu, a conservative elected five years ago. Ero?lu got 39.6 percent of the votes.
   
Nearly 177,000 voters were eligible to participate in the second round of elections.
  
Ero?lu, supported by the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party-National Forces, had led the first round with 28.15 percent of the votes while Ak?nc? received 26.94 percent.

The Republican Turkish Party-United Forces candidate Sibel Siber received 22.53 percent and independent Kudret Özersay took 21.25 percent.

The Republican Turkish Party-United Forces party and Prime Minister Özkan Yorganc?o?lu announced support for Ak?nc?'s candidacy after the first round.

Ak?nc?, 67, is a former mayor of the Turkish Cypriot half of the island?s divided capital and has been one of his community?s most outspoken advocates of reconciliation with the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government.

The Turkish military intervention in Cyprus in 1974, following a coup that brought a hardline Greek administration to power on the island, resulted in the division of Cyprus and led to decades of scarce contact. 

Born in the southern city of Limassol in 1947, Ak?nc? was first elected to parliament in 1975, a year after Turkey's military intervention. He became mayor of the northern section of Nicosia in 1976, a post he held until 1990. He worked on numerous initiatives...