LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Mustafa Akinci was sworn in Thursday as the fourth president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or TRNC.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, former TRNC president TRNC Mehmet Ali Talat, deputies and military officials attended the ceremony held at the parliament.
Independent candidate Mustafa Akinci won the runoff presidential election Sunday, garnering 60.38 percent of the vote. Akinci's predecessor, Dervis Eroglu, received 39.62 percent of the vote.
Nearly 177,000 voters were eligible to participate in the second round of the election.
Cyprus has been divided since a Greek Cypriot coup to unite the island with Greece was thwarted by a Turkish military intervention and peace operation in 1974, in accordance with an earlier treaty in 1960.
Consequently, Turkish Cypriots set up their own republic in 1983 while maintaining the search for reconciliation.
The European Union recognizes the Greek-Cypriot administration in the island, but Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus diplomatically.
