NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots were voting to elect a new president on Sunday in a cliff-hanger vote which could affect reunification prospects for the war-divided island this year.
Polling stations opened at 5 a.m. British time and votingwas scheduled to end at 3 p.m. British time, with final resultsin by around 6:30 p.m. British time.
Almost 516,000 people have the right to vote. The electionis confined to the Greek Cypriot south of Cyprus, split alongethnic lines in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief GreekCypriot coup.
Polls have shown the election will be split betweenincumbent Tassos Papadopoulos, Communist Demetris Christofiasand right-wing-backed Ioannis Kassoulides. None are expected tomuster the requisite 50 percent plus, making a February 24runoff a certainty. Nine candidates are standing.
The winner of the election will be tasked with negotiatingwith the Turkish Cypriot community on a resumption of peacetalks, stalled since Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nationssettlement proposal in 2004.
Papadopoulos was a harsh critic of the blueprint. Hischallengers say they will be more proactive about finding asettlement on the island, which has harmed Turkey's chances ofjoining the European Union.
(Writing by Michele Kambas, Editing by Janet Lawrence)