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M. Continuo

Cyprus vote shows Papadopoulos defeat


    By Michele Kambas

    NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Tassos Papadopouloslooked likely to be eliminated in the first round of apresidential election on Sunday, with early results showing himin third place.

    With 77 percent of the vote counted, conservative-backedIoannis Kassoulides was ahead with 33.7 percent of the vote,followed by Communist Demetris Christofias with 33.1 percent.Papadopoulos was third with 31.75 percent.

    If the trend continues, Papadopoulos will not make it intothe February 24 run-off of an election seen as key for effortsto reunite the Mediterranean island and Turkey's European Unionaspirations. Final results are expected by 1830 GMT.

    "We are looking at an election thriller," said NicosAnastassiades, head of the party supporting Kassoulides.

    Papadopoulos, elected in 2003, had led his community intorejecting a U.N. reunification plan for the island in 2004.Detractors say he is a hardliner who has alienated GreekCypriots in Europe, and failed to take decisive initiatives tore-start stalled peace talks with the island's estrangedTurkish Cypriot community.

    Both Kassoulides and Christofias have said they would beeager to re-launch negotiations and end the island's division.

    Earlier, an exit poll by the Pulse polling company for theCyprus Broadcasting Corporation gave Christofias a marginallead over his two challengers, with between 32-35 percent ofthe vote. Papadopoulos and Kassoulides tied at between 31 and34 percent.

    Polls had predicted the race was too close to call. Somepolls conducted in the run-up to the election had suggestedthat Christofias could beat Papadopoulos in a run-off, eventhough that gap had narrowed by early February. Polls hadsuggested Christofias could beat Kassoulides in a run-off.

    Christofias, who supported Papadopoulos in his bid for thepresidency in 2008, had then backed Papadopoulos in rejectingthe U.N. plan, but it later emerged there were keydisagreements on tactics.

    Mediators plan one last crack this year at mending fencesbetween Greek and Turkish Cypriots, living on opposing sides ofa U.N. ceasefire line bisecting the island for decades.

    Stalled efforts to reconcile the two sides are hamperingTurkey's chances of joining the European Union. A GreekCypriot-led Cyprus represents the island in the bloc, with vetorights over the admission of Turkey.

    The EU partially suspended Turkey's EU accession talks in2006 over its refusal to open its ports and airports to GreekCypriot traffic. (Editing by Richard Williams)