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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Cypriot president ousted in poll | Cypriot president ousted in poll |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The closest-ever election in southern Cyprus has ended President Tassos Papadopoulos's five years in power. | |
| The MEP Ioannis Kasoulides won the knife-edge poll by just 980 votes, after a turnout of around 90%. | The MEP Ioannis Kasoulides won the knife-edge poll by just 980 votes, after a turnout of around 90%. |
| The former foreign minister will face Demetris Christofias, who came second, in a run-off vote next Sunday. | The former foreign minister will face Demetris Christofias, who came second, in a run-off vote next Sunday. |
| The election is being seen as a crucial step towards reunification with the break-away Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus after decades of division. | The election is being seen as a crucial step towards reunification with the break-away Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus after decades of division. |
| Mr Kasoulides won 33.51% of votes compared to 33.29% for Mr Christofias and 31.79% for Mr Papadopoulos. | Mr Kasoulides won 33.51% of votes compared to 33.29% for Mr Christofias and 31.79% for Mr Papadopoulos. |
| Open-minded | Open-minded |
| A member of the right-wing DISY party, Mr Kasoulides is the candidate most favoured by the international community to push ahead with reunification talks, says the BBC's Tabitha Morgan in Nicosia. | A member of the right-wing DISY party, Mr Kasoulides is the candidate most favoured by the international community to push ahead with reunification talks, says the BBC's Tabitha Morgan in Nicosia. |
| She says the result shows that most Cypriots have clearly rejected Mr Papadopoulos's uncompromising approach to solving the Cyprus problem in favour of a more open-minded candidate. | She says the result shows that most Cypriots have clearly rejected Mr Papadopoulos's uncompromising approach to solving the Cyprus problem in favour of a more open-minded candidate. |
| Ahead of Sunday's vote, both Mr Kasoulides and Mr Christofias, the communist party leader, had claimed to be best qualified to head negotiations with the Turkish north. | Ahead of Sunday's vote, both Mr Kasoulides and Mr Christofias, the communist party leader, had claimed to be best qualified to head negotiations with the Turkish north. |
| Last month the International Crisis Group, a think tank, warned that if talks after the election failed, the likely outcome would be partition. | Last month the International Crisis Group, a think tank, warned that if talks after the election failed, the likely outcome would be partition. |
| Cypriots living in Greece and Britain have been flown back to Cyprus on planes chartered by the main parties, so that they can vote. | Cypriots living in Greece and Britain have been flown back to Cyprus on planes chartered by the main parties, so that they can vote. |
| Cyprus was partitioned after a Turkish invasion in 1974, which came shortly after a Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta ruling Greece at the time. | Cyprus was partitioned after a Turkish invasion in 1974, which came shortly after a Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta ruling Greece at the time. |
| Shortly before joining the European Union in 2004 the Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nations plan to reunify the island. | Shortly before joining the European Union in 2004 the Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nations plan to reunify the island. |
| Turkey recognises only the Turkish Cypriot authorities and keeps about 30,000 troops in the north of the island. | Turkey recognises only the Turkish Cypriot authorities and keeps about 30,000 troops in the north of the island. |