Prime Minister Ersin Tatar casts his vote during the presidential elections in Nicosia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on October 11, 2020.
With 98.64 percent of ballot boxes opened so far after Sunday's voting, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar has secured 32.45 percent of the votes, the Bayrak Radio TV Corporation reported, citing unofficial data by the election authority. Turkish Cypriots begin voting for a new president tasked with overcoming their deep political chasms with rival Greek Cypriots.
Tatar opened the coastline of the touristic city of Maras, which has been closed for 46 years, to civilians.The leader who will win will also determine the direction of the Cyprus solution negotiations, the energy and sovereignty struggle that has recently marked the eastern Mediterranean, and the future of the Maras initiative.