NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Hard-line challenger Dervis Eroglu won a key Turkish Cypriot leadership election Sunday, vowing to continue peace talks amid fears his victory could grind reunification negotiations with the Greek Cypriots to a halt and scuttle Turkey's bid for European Union membership.

Eroglu won just enough votes for an outright victory, with 50.38%, compared to leftist incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat's 42.85%, according to results posted on the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Board's website. Candidates needed 50% plus one vote to avoid a runoff.
It was a much closer race than expected, as opinion polls had consistently predicted Eroglu to win by a wide margin.
Eroglu assured supporters who rushed to his party headquarters in the northern, Turkish Cypriot half of the island's divided capital, that he would not abandon negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided island.
The island's division is already hampering Turkey's EU drive and could halt it if peace talks collapse. Since Turkey is a NATO member such a move also could cripple closer cooperation between the military alliance and the EU, and increase regional instability.
Greek Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told state-run CyBC TV that the election outcome was a ""negative development,"" but that Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias would press on with negotiations.
Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared the independent republic in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it, and maintains 35,000 troops there.
Divided Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, with only the internationally recognized south's 800,000 Greek Cypriots enjoying membership benefits. The island's division is already blocking parts of Turkey's EU membership negotiation process because of Ankara's refusal to recognize the Greek Cypriot government.
Eroglu's resurgence was mainly due to public disillusionment with Talat, whom many Turkish Cypriots fault for not delivering on a promise of a swift deal after opening negotiations with Christofias 19 months ago.
Although Eroglu insists he would continue peace talks, he's at odds with an agreement between Talat and Christofias envisioning a future partnership under a federal roof. Eroglu insists on separate sovereignty for the breakaway north, something that Christofias has warned he wouldn't accept.
The Turkish government has been careful not to take sides in the election, and has said that peace talks must continue regardless of the winner.
Seven candidates ran in the election, but the others were not considered serious contenders and trailed far behind. Eroglu party defector Tahsin Ertugruroglu was in third place with 3.81% of the vote.
Photo: Turkish Cypriot presidential candidate and the leader of the National Unity party (UBP) Dervis Eroglu (L) celebrates his victory with his wife Meral Eroglu at the party headquarters in Nicosia, in the Turkish-administered northern part of Cyprus, April 18, 2010. (Photo: AP)