Cypriot election brings fresh reunification hope[fr][de] 

The right-wing MEP and former foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides won the closest-ever election by just 980 votes (33.5%), ahead of Communist MEP Demetris Christofias (33.3%). The two will now face each other in a second round of elections on 24 February. President Papadopoulous only came third, with almost 32% of the vote.

Acknowledging his defeat, Papadopoulos said that "the people have judged and decided. Their choice is completely respected."

Kasoulides is the candidate most favoured by the international community to push ahead with reunification talks. The chairman of the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, said that Kasoulides "can offer Cyprus a new future," calling him a "great Cypriot and a great European". 

Both candidates, Kasoulides and Christofias, have pledged a more conciliatory approach towards estranged Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north. Both have said they want to meet Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader. 

Papadopoulos was instrumental in successfully pushing Greek Cypriots to reject a UN reunification plan which the Turkish Cypriots in the North had approved in referendum, turning him into a persona non grata among them. His defeat came as a surprise, as polls had predicted he would at least advance to the second round. 

The Eurasia think tank argued that this election offered the "last chance to unite the island," saying that a permanently divided Cyprus would "create a lasting source of political tension". 

Moreover, the failure of reunification talks would also severely diminish Turkey's chances of EU membership, since only the Greek South Cyprus is member of the bloc, providing it with veto rights over any future candidate. 

Cyprus, which was divided following a Turkish invasion in 1974, is internationally represented by the Greek Cypriot government in the south, while the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north is recognised only by Ankara.