...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...pandemic, the
Initially scheduled to take place on April 26, the elections, in which 11 candidates are expected to battle it out, were delayed until Oct. 11.
Although the number of candidates is relatively high, the polls have already signaled the favorites, with those leading being incumbent President Mustafa Akinci, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, head of the center-left Republican
The TRNC elects its president in a two-round election. If a candidate fails to appear as the front-runner in the first round, the second round takes place between only two of the leading candidates. A second vote is scheduled to take place on Oct. 18, if deemed necessary.
At the beginning of this year, Akinci declared he would run independently. He is the fourth president of the TRNC and has held the office since 2015.
Originally an architect, Akinci’s political career began with the mayorship of the
In 2015, Akinci competed as an independent in the country's presidential elections and won with a 60.5% share of the votes in the second round. Over the course of his presidency, he has given importance to the resolution of the Cyprus issue, restarting negotiations with the leader of the Greek Cypriot administration, Nicos Anastasiades.