By Michele Kambas
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots voted to elect a newpresident on Sunday, with both candidates saying they want torelaunch peace talks to reunite the war-partitioned island thatare crucial to Turkey's hopes of joining the EU.
The runoff between Communist leader Demetris Christofias,62, and right-wing backed Ioannis Kassoulides, 59, follows thesurprise first-round defeat of incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos,who opposed a 2004 U.N. plan to reunify the Mediterraneanstate.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (5 a.m. British time).Voting was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. (3 p.m. British time),with final results expected by 5:30 p.m. British time. Justover half a million people in the Greek Cypriot south of Cypruswere eligible to vote.
"Voting started on time and we do not anticipate anyproblems," said chief election official Lazaros Savvides.
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. Around 30,000Turkish troops remain there.
Christofias and Kassoulides say they want to restart peacetalks with the Turkish Cypriots but they differ on the process.
Reunification is important for Turkey's efforts to enterthe European Union, with the Greek-Cypriot government saying itcould block Turkish membership as long as the island isdivided.
REUNIFICATION GOAL
Soviet-educated Christofias says he wants resumption oftalks with Turkish Cypriots through a U.N. process.
"I don't think Mr. Kassoulides or I have the magic formulato break the deadlock," Christofias said in a televised debateon Friday. "But I have the goodwill to move forward to try tofind a settlement. It's an absolute necessity."
Kassoulides, a former foreign minister who says he hasbetter EU connections, favours a more direct approach withTurkish Cypriots.
"I will seek a meeting with (Turkish Cypriot leader) MehmetAli Talat on Monday afternoon if I am elected," he said.
Peace efforts collapsed when Papadopoulos led GreekCypriots in rejecting the U.N. plan three years ago, and Cyprusthen entered the EU represented only by the Greek Cypriotsouth.
Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the U.N. plan, but bothcandidates say the blueprint cannot be revived because of itsresounding rejection by 76 percent of Greek Cypriots.
"I don't think either can do anything on the Cyprus issueunless the other side wants it," said microbiologist AntonisRotos, 68, at a polling station in the capital Nicosia.
Christofias is better placed to win Sunday's vote with thesupport of his powerful communist AKEL party and Papadopoulos'sDemocratic Party.
He would be the only communist EU head of state and he hassought to reassure business leaders that he will leave the freemarket alone, but he says he wants to create an administrationwhich is better on welfare and has a "humane face".
(Additional reporting by Stelios Orphanides; Editing byMichael Winfrey)
