The right wing Democratic Rally (DISY) topped the polls, gaining 138,614 votes and a comfortable lead of 34.27% against the ruling left-wing AKEL party, which finished in second position with 132,163 votes and 32.67%., the Famagusta Gazette reported.
AKEL, the communist party of President Dmitris Christofias, in fact increased its share of the vote compared with its score in the 2006 parliamentary elections, but the government coalition partner, the Democratic Party (DIKO), suffered a setback, losing 2.22% and securing just 15.77% of the vote.
The European Party (EVROKO) won 15,712 votes or 3.88%, 1.9& fewer than in the 2006 elections.
The Green Party garnered 8,954 votes, increasing its share of the vote from 1.96% in the 2006 poll to 2.21%.
Under the Cypriot presidential system, Christofias' term in office does not end until February 2013. Opposition gains, however, are expected to put pressure on him to change course in reunification talks with the north.
As Deutsche Welle reported, leaders of opposition parties have accused Christofias of making too many concessions in the talks, which have made little progress since starting in 2008.
Most controversial was the proposal of a rotating presidency with Turkish Cypriots under a federal system, which conservatives said had been offered too readily.
Christofias is set to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu in Geneva in July for United Nations-backed peace talks that had originally been scheduled for April.
