By Michele Kambas and Dina Kyriakidou
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Communist party leader DemetrisChristofias won Cyprus's presidential election on Sunday andvowed to revive efforts to re-unite the island, whose divisionis a hurdle in Turkey's troubled path to the European Union.
Supporters poured into the streets waving red party bannersand Cypriot flags and drove around the capital honking horns asChristofias won 53.36 of the vote and right-wing rival IoannisKassoulides garnered 46.64 percent and conceded defeat.
"I love you," Christofias, 62, told a noisy crowd. "Fromtomorrow we unite our strengths, we shall work collectively andin unison to achieve reunification of our homeland."
Political analyst Hubert Faustmann said Christofias "wastalking about the need to communicate with his Turkish-Cypriotcompatriots all the time and he will deliver on this. I thinkthis will substantially improve the climate."
Christofias will be the island's first communist presidentand the only one in the 27-member European Union. Althoughproud to be a communist, he says he will leave the free marketeconomy alone.
His AKEL party boasts busts of Lenin and red flags at itsheadquarters but it also owns a number of large businesses onthe island. It has been instrumental in electing presidents buthad never fielded its own candidate.
The division of the Mediterranean island between Greek andTurkish Cypriots since 1974 is a major obstacle to neighbouringTurkey's EU aspirations.
ENDING STALEMATE
Greek Cypriots voted down a U.N. reunification plan in 2004and they joined the EU a short time later as a divided island.The EU recognises the Greek-Cypriot government in the south.
Ankara's EU entry negotiations have been partly suspendedbecause of the stalemate over Cyprus. The conflict is also anobstacle to better ties between NATO allies Greece and Turkey.
Negotiations froze under outgoing President TassosPapadopoulos, who had rejected the U.N. plan in 2004. Hissurprise elimination in the first round of voting on February17 raised hopes of breaking the deadlock.
Soviet-educated Christofias, who won the vote aftersecuring support from Papadopoulos's party, favours astructured approach to fresh talks through the United Nations.
Turkish Cypriots, who have watched wealthier Greek Cypriotsenjoy the benefits of EU membership alone, welcomed the result,saying they were keen for negotiations to re-start.
"We see the change as an opportunity, and we expectnegotiations to start immediately and without the need forpreliminaries," said Turkish Cypriot spokesman Hasan Ercakica.
Initial reaction from Turkey was more lukewarm, with aForeign Ministry official saying the election result waspositive but there were many factors to follow up on.
"We are a little cautious at the moment," said theofficial, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We have to seewhether Christofias gave promises to Papadopoulos or not.(Christofias) will face a sincerity test."
Cyprus has been split since 1974 between the Greek-Cypriotsouth, seat of the EU-recognised government, and theTurkish-Cypriot north, which is recognised only by Turkey.
It was divided when Turkey invaded the north after a briefcoup inspired by the military then ruling Greece.
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli and SteliosOrphanides, and Zerin Elci in Ankara; writing by DinaKyriakidou; editing by Stephen Weeks)
