Christofias, secretary general of the Communist AKEL, defeated former Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, the candidate of the right-wing Democratic Rally, in the second round of the presidential poll.  Although the contest was considered too close to call, Christofias took 53.4 per cent of the vote against 46.6 per cent for Kasoulides.

The presidential race became a straight left-right contest last weekend when incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos was eliminated in the first very close round.  But his centrist Democratic Party, which backed Christofias, became the king maker in the second round, with 60 per cent of its voters casting ballots for the Communist party chief.

The electorate in the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot majority republic has traditionally been split between left, right, and centre, with each trend garnering about 33 per cent of the vote. 

Reunification

During the hard fought campaign Christofias pledged to try to relaunch reunifications negotiations with the breakaway Turkish Cypriots in the Turkish occupied north of the island.

He claimed AKEL is well placed to promote productive contacts with the Turkish Cypriots because of the party's links to their trade organisations.  Negotiations were suspended after 76 per cent of Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan for reunification in a 2004 referendum. Outgoing President Papadopoulos was blamed by the Western powers, which backed the plan, for its rejection.

Christofias says he will pursue a structured approach to negotiations, following the example set by Papadopoulos, and will not make major changes in the island's free market economy or interfere with its fulfillment of European Union requirements.

As the counting of votes proceeded, Christofias' supporters outside AKEL headquarters in the capital waved the white and gold flag of the Cyprus republic, the party flag and the red banner decorated with the hammer and sickle.

Ninety per cent of the 516,000 strong electorate took part in the election.