By Michele Kambas
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots voted on Sunday for anew president in a cliffhanger three-way race seen as crucialto any revival of peace talks on the war-divided island and toTurkey's hopes of joining the EU.
No clear winner is likely from Sunday's vote. Pollsforecast a neck-and-neck contest between incumbent TassosPapadopoulos and challengers Demetris Christofias and IoannisKassoulides.
Voting was scheduled to end at 3 p.m. British time, withfinal results expected at around 1830. If no clear winneremerges a runoff will be held on February 24.
The winner will be mandated to seek a peace deal to reuniteCyprus's ethnic Greeks and Turks, divided since a Turkishinvasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Cyprus is now represented in the EU by its Greek Cypriots,with north Cyprus a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognisedonly by Ankara.
Without a solution, Greek-led Cyprus will never agree toTurkey's admission into the EU. The problem could alsocomplicate cooperation between NATO, of which Turkey is amember, and the security arm of the EU, the ESDP.
"The future is in our hands. I hope that with the help ofthe people we can achieve the solution we want and deserve,"Papadopoulos, 74, said as he cast his vote on Sunday.
TOUGH ON DIVISION
Papadopoulos led Greek Cypriot opposition to a 2004 UNreunification plan which was accepted by Turkish Cypriots, andsays he will oppose any attempt to revive it. Some Cypriotssaid they voted for him because he was the toughest on the keyissue.
"I voted for Tassos (Papadopoulos) because he has thestrongest personality," said 31-year-old accountant MichalisAletraris. "He has the right approach on the Cyprus problemwhich I think will lead to a fair solution for both sides."
Kassoulides and Christofias say they will attempt to forgecloser links with Turkish Cypriots.
"Our aspiration is to reunite this country and its people,Greek and Turkish Cypriots ... people deserve better," saidChristofias, 62, head of the island's powerful Communist party.
Kassoulides, 59, said he wanted to see Cyprus move closerto Europe. "Today we decide to move Cyprus forward as a modernEU state ... and to start the real struggle to end the(Turkish) occupation," he said.
Papadopoulos is tipped to be marginally ahead of the othertwo candidates in the first round. He has overseen a buoyanteconomy and Cyprus's admission to the euro zone on January 12008.
Under overcast skies and rain -- a welcome respite to acrippling drought which has sapped Cyprus's water reserves todangerously low levels, about half of the almost 516,000-strongelectorate had voted by midday.
Tight reporting restrictions are supposed to prevent themedia influencing voters. Most appeared to flout the rules.
"The race is a bad remake of the Good, the Bad and theUgly," wrote Patroclos, a columnist for the Cyprus Mail daily.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli and SteliosOrphanides; editing by Andrew Roche)
