N Cypriot opposition shows muscle

Opposition supporters want Mr Denktash to resign

Thousands of Turkish Cypriots rallied on the streets of Europe's last divided capital, Nicosia, on Thursday night ahead of landmark elections.

The vote is seen as a referendum on the UN's so-far failed blueprint to reunite the island after almost 30 years.

The opposition is vowing to revive the plan, refused by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in March, if it wins.

Polls show voters are deeply divided, but the last opposition rally drew much bigger crowds than the government's.

The vote comes just five months before the EU is due to admit Cyprus as a member.

The Greek Cypriot south will go ahead without the Turkish Cypriot north, unless a reunification deal is reached before May.

The UN called off marathon negotiations after Mr Denktash's rejection of the plan nine months ago, but the EU still urges both sides to come to a solution.

Denktash warns opposition Fears of 'Turkification'

Many of the 140,000 Turkish Cypriots voters are tired of their three-decade isolation and fear being left even more in the cold if they miss the so-called "EU train."

Many others are concerned that the UN blueprint does not guarantee their rights in a united Cyprus, and will lead to domination by the wealthier and larger Greek Cypriot south.

Speaking at a final pre-election rally in the Turkish part of Nicosia, the leader of the main opposition bloc, Mehmet Ali Talat, said they were going to create a new order.

"We are going to unite with the rest of the world. If you insist on peace, if you insist on the EU, put on your best clothes on Sunday as if you are going to a wedding and cast your ballot," he said.

The rally by Mr Talat's left-wing Republican Turkish Party (RTP) and his allies was joined, according to agency estimates, between 20,000 and 40,000 people.

Backed by whistles, drums and air horns, the crowd chanted slogans such as "You cannot prevent peace in Cyprus," and "Denktash resign".

A few hundred meters away, the main partner in the governing coalition, the right-wing National Unity Party (NUP) held its own final pre-election rally.

This is the most important election of our political history. This election will determine whether we continue to exist or disappear Prime Minister Dervish Eroglu

Pro-government observers admitted that they drew roughly a third of the crowds of the rival rally - but still hailed it as their biggest show of force so far.

They argued that government supporters in northern Cyprus prefer to stay at home and show their true colours at the ballot box, unlike the more vocal and well-organised opposition.

The NUP rally was dominated by slogans such as "Sovereign state, lasting peace" and "The Motherland to the end", a reference to Turkey, which seized the north of the island in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta in Athens.

Georgian model

The NUP leader and Prime Minister Dervish Eroglu told his supporters that this vote was "a race for your identity".

"This is the most important election of our political history. This election will determine whether we continue to exist or disappear," he said.

Many analysts agree that the real battle will start after the elections.

Opinion polls indicate that there will be a close race between the NUP and the opposition RTP - and none will have an outright majority.

Mr Denktash has repeatedly said that he may not ask the RTP to form the government even if they win more votes, because "he does not believe they can form a coalition and they do not support national policies".

Some opposition figures argue "Georgian model" street protests are likely in such a case, although Mr Talat says "he is sure it will not come to that."