LEFKOSA, Cyprus, April 18 (UPI) -- Nationalist Dervis Eroglu has defeated incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat in the Northern Cyprus presidential election, officials said Sunday.
Eroglu, a member of the National Unity Party who favors independence for the north on the divided island, captured 50.4 percent of the vote to Talat's 43 percent, unofficial results show, the BCC reported.
Eroglu opposes reunification of the Turkish Cypriot northern part of the island with the Greek south and says he wants a two-state solution, which Greek Cypriots oppose.
Talat, who favors reunification and has been in office since 2005, has been having unification talks, sponsored by the United Nations, with the Greek Cypriots since September 2008.
The BBC said Talat's defeat has led to concerns the talks could fall apart, which would hurt Turkey's chances to join the European Union.
But Eroglu told Turkey's NTV television "no one must think that I will walk away from the negotiating table. The talks process will continue. I will work with goodwill for a solution that takes my community's rights into account."
Talat told reporters, "My dream to reach a solution is still there, but of course, this is the beginning of a new era."
