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Second round of Cyprus vote over | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Voting has ended in the second round of presidential elections in the Republic of Cyprus. | |
It followed Greek Cypriots' surprise rejection last week of incumbent President Tassos Papadopoulos. | |
The two remaining candidates, Demetris Christofias and Ioannis Kasoulides, both promise that if elected they will revive talks on reuniting the island. | The two remaining candidates, Demetris Christofias and Ioannis Kasoulides, both promise that if elected they will revive talks on reuniting the island. |
The two men were neck-and-neck in the first round, separated by less than 1,000 votes. | The two men were neck-and-neck in the first round, separated by less than 1,000 votes. |
More than 60% of Greek Cypriots voted against President Papadopoulos, ousting the man who had advised them to reject the UN-brokered reunification deal in 2004. | More than 60% of Greek Cypriots voted against President Papadopoulos, ousting the man who had advised them to reject the UN-brokered reunification deal in 2004. |
Turkish Cypriots | |
The two presidential hopefuls, though seen as coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum, have both emphasised their commitment to solving the Cyprus problem. | |
Mr Kasoulides, a former foreign minister favoured by the international community to negotiate a solution, has said that if elected he will meet the Turkish Cypriot leadership from the north of the island the next day. | |
Mr Christofias argues that his close ties with the Turkish Cypriot labour movement will enable him to broker a deal acceptable to both sides. | Mr Christofias argues that his close ties with the Turkish Cypriot labour movement will enable him to broker a deal acceptable to both sides. |
The BBC's Tabitha Morgan in Cyprus says the electoral mood among Greek Cypriots appears to have changed. | |
'No guarantee' | |
But the character of politics in Cyprus means that smaller parties, including the defeated president's National Diko party, continue to exert a disproportionate influence on events, she adds. | |
Mr Kasoulides and Mr Christofias were neck-and-neck in the first vote | |
"The coalition that communist leader Christofias has formed includes the parties of the old government which in the past had opposed a settlement," says Hubert Faustmann, a political analyst at the University of Nicosia | "The coalition that communist leader Christofias has formed includes the parties of the old government which in the past had opposed a settlement," says Hubert Faustmann, a political analyst at the University of Nicosia |
"So he has the support of parties whose support for a solution cannot be guaranteed." | "So he has the support of parties whose support for a solution cannot be guaranteed." |
Mr Kasoulides is seen as unencumbered by the kind of political alliances that might constrain him in any future talks. | |
Official results are expected to begin emerging later on Sunday. |