<p class="title">Cyprus votes in a presidential election on Sunday with incumbent Nicos Anastasiades ahead as he pledges a fresh push to reunify the divided island after talks collapsed last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following a low-key campaign in the European Union's most easterly member, polls put the conservative in the lead as he claims credit for an economic recovery from a debilitating crisis in 2013.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Anastasiades (71) looks unlikely to win a first round outright.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He is expected to face a February 4 run-off against either Communist-backed Stavros Malas or Nikolas Papadopoulos, a former president's son who takes a tougher line on peace efforts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Apathy among the roughly 5,50,000 registered voters appears high and opponents have failed to land a major blow on the former lawyer as he seeks a second five-year term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is set to be intense horse-trading if the first round is not decisive and a backroom deal could still thwart Anastasiades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He is the likely winner according to the polls," said analyst Christophoros Christophorou. </p>.<p class="bodytext">As always, the nearly 44-year division of the island between the internationally recognised Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus and a Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north looms large.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In July, two years of UN-backed talks between Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci came closer than ever to reunifying the island but collapsed in acrimony before a deal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite the failure to bridge key issues, including the future of tens of thousands of Turkish troops in the north, Anastasiades insists he wants talks with Akinci to restart soon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there is deep scepticism over whether there is the political will to make a breakthrough.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At the only televised debate before the vote, opponents laid into Anastasiades for being either too pliant or not determined enough to reach a deal last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Signs are that the road to reunification will only get tougher as fatigue mounts after decades of failure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ultra-nationalist party ELAM - fiercely opposed to the proposed reunification - is fielding a candidate for the first time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the north, parliamentary elections this month saw parties opposed to reunification perform strongly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While the "national problem" is ever present, this time around the economy has been a dominant issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The economy has featured more than the Cyprus problem in this campaign," said Fiona Mullen, director of Nicosia-based Sapienta Economics. </p>.<p class="bodytext">When Anastasiades took over, the banking sector was in meltdown and he took a 10 billion Euro (more $12 billion) bailout that entailed biting austerity measures.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That included a drastic haircut on accounts of over 1,00,000 Euros held in the country's biggest lender, Bank of Cyprus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since then the economy has rebounded faster than many expected and growth has been steady since 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tourism reached a record high last year and explorations are going on for oil and gas offshore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But the economy is still smaller than it was before the crisis, unemployment is around 11% and banks are awash with bad loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The recovery is relative," Mullen said.</p>
<p class="title">Cyprus votes in a presidential election on Sunday with incumbent Nicos Anastasiades ahead as he pledges a fresh push to reunify the divided island after talks collapsed last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following a low-key campaign in the European Union's most easterly member, polls put the conservative in the lead as he claims credit for an economic recovery from a debilitating crisis in 2013.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But Anastasiades (71) looks unlikely to win a first round outright.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He is expected to face a February 4 run-off against either Communist-backed Stavros Malas or Nikolas Papadopoulos, a former president's son who takes a tougher line on peace efforts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Apathy among the roughly 5,50,000 registered voters appears high and opponents have failed to land a major blow on the former lawyer as he seeks a second five-year term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is set to be intense horse-trading if the first round is not decisive and a backroom deal could still thwart Anastasiades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He is the likely winner according to the polls," said analyst Christophoros Christophorou. </p>.<p class="bodytext">As always, the nearly 44-year division of the island between the internationally recognised Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus and a Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north looms large.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In July, two years of UN-backed talks between Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci came closer than ever to reunifying the island but collapsed in acrimony before a deal.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite the failure to bridge key issues, including the future of tens of thousands of Turkish troops in the north, Anastasiades insists he wants talks with Akinci to restart soon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But there is deep scepticism over whether there is the political will to make a breakthrough.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At the only televised debate before the vote, opponents laid into Anastasiades for being either too pliant or not determined enough to reach a deal last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Signs are that the road to reunification will only get tougher as fatigue mounts after decades of failure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ultra-nationalist party ELAM - fiercely opposed to the proposed reunification - is fielding a candidate for the first time.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the north, parliamentary elections this month saw parties opposed to reunification perform strongly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While the "national problem" is ever present, this time around the economy has been a dominant issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The economy has featured more than the Cyprus problem in this campaign," said Fiona Mullen, director of Nicosia-based Sapienta Economics. </p>.<p class="bodytext">When Anastasiades took over, the banking sector was in meltdown and he took a 10 billion Euro (more $12 billion) bailout that entailed biting austerity measures.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That included a drastic haircut on accounts of over 1,00,000 Euros held in the country's biggest lender, Bank of Cyprus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since then the economy has rebounded faster than many expected and growth has been steady since 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tourism reached a record high last year and explorations are going on for oil and gas offshore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But the economy is still smaller than it was before the crisis, unemployment is around 11% and banks are awash with bad loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The recovery is relative," Mullen said.</p>