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Ersin Tatar, winner of the presidential election
Photo:
Nedim Enginsoy / dpa
The internationally unrecognized Republic of Northern Cyprus has elected a new president.
According to the preliminary final result, voters voted 51.7 percent for the previous head of government Ersin Tatar, the state broadcaster BRT announced on Sunday evening.
Tatar prevailed in a runoff election against the independent challenger and previous president, Mustafa Akinci.
This lost with 48.3 percent of the vote.
Tatar belongs to the conservative National Unity Party (UBP) and advocates a two-state solution on the Mediterranean island.
He is supported by Turkey, which controls the northern part of the island militarily and is the only country to recognize the Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The defeated challenger Akinci is campaigning for a reunification with the Republic of Cyprus.
The runoff election occurred because no candidate had received the required absolute majority of votes in the first round of voting the previous week.
Tatar won 32.5 percent of the vote, Akinci almost 30 percent.
A total of eleven candidates stood for election.
Around 200,000 people were able to cast their votes.
The election came amid a dispute between Turkey, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus over natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 after a Greek coup and a Turkish military intervention.
The south of the island is ruled by the Republic of Cyprus, the north by Turkey militarily.
In addition to Turkey and Cyprus, Greece also claims the area of Northern Cyprus.
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ire / afp / dpa