North Cyprus to hold presidential elections on April 26

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will hold presidential elections on April 26, the country's Supreme Election Council announced on Friday.

The statement said the pre-election restrictions will start on March 1.

So far, four politicians have announced their candidacy.

These politicians are Prime Minister Ersin Tatar from National Unity Party, Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay as an independent candidate, main opposition Republican Turkish Party leader Tufan Erhurman and leader of Rebirth Party Erhan Arikli.

Turkish Cypriots will go to the polls for the 10th time to elect a president since 1974.

In 1974, following a coup aiming at Cyprus’s annexation by Greece, Ankara had to intervene as a guarantor power. In 1983, the TRNC was founded.

The decades since have seen several attempts to resolve the Cyprus dispute, all ending in failure.

The latest one, held with the participation of the guarantor countries -- Turkey, Greece, and the U.K. -- came to an end without any progress in 2017 in Switzerland.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara