NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots vote on Sunday in a tight three-way election for a new president who will be tasked with finding a peace deal on the divided island that could open Turkey's path towards the European Union.
Tassos Papadopoulos and challengers Demetris Christofiasand Ioannis Kassoulides are almost tied in opinion polls,making a February 24 runoff a certainty.
Polls open at 5 a.m. British time and close at 3 p.m.British time for some 516,000 voters, including up to 22,000Cypriots flown in from Greece and Britain.
Final results are expected by 6:30 p.m. British time. Ninecandidates are standing.
The winner will be mandated to seek a peace deal to reuniteCyprus's ethnic Greeks and Turks, who have been split since aTurkish invasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspiredcoup.
Greek Cypriots representing Cyprus in the EU say they willnot let Turkey join the bloc unless there is a peace deal onthe island. Ankara's entry talks were partially frozen in 2006.
His challengers say Papadopoulos's poor negotiating tacticshave pushed the island to the verge of partition.
Papadopoulos led Greek Cypriot rejection of a UnitedNations peace blueprint in 2004 and says he will not make"concessions" or accept a settlement failing to meet basicconcerns.
Communist Christofias and the right-wing backed independentKassoulides pledge to forge closer ties with Turkish Cypriots.Diplomats hoping to launch a new peace bid this year arewatching the race closely.
"If Papadopoulos is re-elected I am not optimistic aboutthe prospects for a solution," said Ahmet Sozen of the EastMediterranean University. "A win for Kassoulides or Christofiaswill mean a quick start to negotiations."
North Cyprus is recognised only by Ankara which props it upwith 30,000 troops.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli; Editing by RobertWoodward)