Nicosia: Vote counting began Sunday in the presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after polls closed. The TRNC Supreme Election Board is supervising the counting, which is taking place at election centers across the territory. Local ballot officials are also overseeing it.

According to Anadolu Agency, polling for the first round of the presidential election began on Sunday morning. TRNC voters began casting ballots at 8 am (0500GMT) and continued until 6 pm (1500 GMT) at 777 polling stations across the country. The TRNC has a total of 218,313 eligible voters participating in this crucial electoral process.

Incumbent President Ersin Tatar is running as an independent candidate, while Tufan Erhurman, leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP), is contesting as his party's candidate. Additional candidates include Mehmet Hasguler, Arif Salih Kirdag, Ahmet Boran, and Ibrahim Yazici, all running as independents, with Osman Zorba representing the Cyprus Socialist Party.

Huseyin Gurlek, who was initially expected to run in the election and whose name appeared on the ballot, announced on Saturday that he withdrew his candidacy in favor of Ersin Tatar. This move adds an interesting dynamic to the electoral race as the votes are tallied.

A candidate will be elected president in the first round if they receive more than 50% of the vote, securing an absolute majority. If no candidate achieves this majority, the top two candidates receiving the most votes will advance to a second round, to be held within seven days. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in this subsequent round will assume the presidential seat.