NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots voted to elect a new president on Sunday in a race key to reunification prospects for war-partitioned Cyprus and Turkey's hopes of joining the EU.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (5:00 a.m. British time)and voting was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT), withfinal results expected by 1730 GMT. Just over half a millionpeople in the Greek Cypriot south of Cyprus were eligible tovote.
Sunday's election pits Communist leader DemetrisChristofias against right-wing backed Ioannis Kassoulides,after the surprise elimination of incumbent hardliner TassosPapadopoulos in the first round on Feb 17.
Both candidates say they will attempt to broker a deal withTurkish Cypriots to end the conflict keeping Cyprus divided andTurkey out of the European Union.
Cyprus has been split along ethnic lines following violenceafter independence from Britain in 1960 and a Turkish invasionin 1974 triggered by a brief Greek inspired coup.
A breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in north Cyprus isrecognised only by Ankara, while the Greek Cypriot southnominally represents the whole island in the EU.
(Writing by Michele Kambas, Editing by Michael Winfrey)
