Cyprus Elections

George Vassiliou, a 56-year-old Communist-backed millionaire, defeated a veteran conservative opponent to become president of Cyprus. With 90% of the vote counted in a second round of balloting, Vassiliou had 51.53% of the votes and Glafcos Clerides had 48.47%. It was the first closely contested election since independence from Britain in 1960. Clerides, 68, and Vassiliou eliminated incumbent Spyros Kyprianou on Feb. 14 in the first round in the Greek part of the Mediterranean island.

For the first time since the end of British rule in 1960, a communist party won parliamentary elections in the Greek Cypriot portion of this Mediterranean island. AKEL won 34.7% of the vote, compared with 34.1% for President Glafcos Clerides' Democratic Rally party. Sunday's vote does not affect Clerides' position, but the new parliament will have a key role in adopting legislation in support of European Union membership.

When Glafcos Clerides became president of this island nation five years ago, he said his priority would be to try to do away with the barbed wire that has sliced it in two for more than two decades. He did not manage it in his first term, but at the age of 78 he fought tooth and nail for a second mandate to finish what he started--by keeping the Cyprus problem firmly in the international spotlight.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash has won another five-year term as president after his only contender withdrew Wednesday from the balloting. The victory by the 76-year-old Denktash comes a month before U.N.-sponsored negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are scheduled to begin in New York. Denktash and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu were to compete in a runoff Saturday in presidential elections in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Former Foreign Minister George Iacovou will face incumbent President Glafcos Clerides next Sunday in a runoff election for president of Cyprus after neither candidate won a majority in Sunday's first round of voting. Iacovou edged ahead with 40.6% of the vote, a razor-thin margin over Clerides, who received 40.1%. In the campaign, seven candidates wooed the electorate with promises of trying to resolve Cyprus' decades-old division and steer the island closer to membership in the European Union.

Greek Cypriots voted in presidential elections seen as a referendum on a U.N. plan to reunite the island, split into Greek and Turkish enclaves since 1974. President George Vassiliou--the only leading contender to support the proposal--won 44% of the 355,535 votes, but not the majority needed to win the election outright. Right-wing candidate Glafcos Clerides came in second with nearly 37%. A runoff is scheduled for next Sunday.

Cypriot President George Vassiliou faces stiff competition for reelection today, as nearly 400,000 ethnic Greek Cypriot voters on this divided Mediterranean island decide which of five presidential candidates will lead the region's smallest democracy for the next five years. Predictably, the major issue is which of the three leading candidates can best out-finesse a shared opponent--Turkey. U.N.

Greek Cypriots vote today in the second and decisive round of the most heated presidential election since Cyprus won independence from Britain 28 years ago. The outcome is wide open in the race between veteran right-wing leader Glafcos Clerides and political newcomer George Vassiliou, finalists after the first round of voting last Sunday. Clerides, 68, topped that balloting with 33.32% of the vote by the 363,000-strong electorate.

Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf R. Denktash has won another five-year term as president after his only contender withdrew Wednesday from the balloting. The victory by the 76-year-old Denktash comes a month before U.N.-sponsored negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are scheduled to begin in New York. Denktash and Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu were to compete in a runoff Saturday in presidential elections in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

For the first time since the end of British rule in 1960, a communist party won parliamentary elections in the Greek Cypriot portion of this Mediterranean island. AKEL won 34.7% of the vote, compared with 34.1% for President Glafcos Clerides' Democratic Rally party. Sunday's vote does not affect Clerides' position, but the new parliament will have a key role in adopting legislation in support of European Union membership.

When Glafcos Clerides became president of this island nation five years ago, he said his priority would be to try to do away with the barbed wire that has sliced it in two for more than two decades. He did not manage it in his first term, but at the age of 78 he fought tooth and nail for a second mandate to finish what he started--by keeping the Cyprus problem firmly in the international spotlight.

Former Foreign Minister George Iacovou will face incumbent President Glafcos Clerides next Sunday in a runoff election for president of Cyprus after neither candidate won a majority in Sunday's first round of voting. Iacovou edged ahead with 40.6% of the vote, a razor-thin margin over Clerides, who received 40.1%. In the campaign, seven candidates wooed the electorate with promises of trying to resolve Cyprus' decades-old division and steer the island closer to membership in the European Union.

Greek Cypriots voted in presidential elections seen as a referendum on a U.N. plan to reunite the island, split into Greek and Turkish enclaves since 1974. President George Vassiliou--the only leading contender to support the proposal--won 44% of the 355,535 votes, but not the majority needed to win the election outright. Right-wing candidate Glafcos Clerides came in second with nearly 37%. A runoff is scheduled for next Sunday.

Cypriot President George Vassiliou faces stiff competition for reelection today, as nearly 400,000 ethnic Greek Cypriot voters on this divided Mediterranean island decide which of five presidential candidates will lead the region's smallest democracy for the next five years. Predictably, the major issue is which of the three leading candidates can best out-finesse a shared opponent--Turkey. U.N.

Turkish Cypriot voters on Sunday gave their veteran leader, Rauf Denktash, an overwhelming endorsement for his hard-line stand on unity talks with Greek Cypriots. Unofficial results reported by the electoral board gave Denktash 68.6% of the ballots for the presidency of the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara. The main opposition candidate, Ismail Bozkurt, had 30.4%, while the third contender, leftist Alpay Durduran, received less than 1%.

George Vassiliou, a 56-year-old Communist-backed millionaire, defeated a veteran conservative opponent to become president of Cyprus. With 90% of the vote counted in a second round of balloting, Vassiliou had 51.53% of the votes and Glafcos Clerides had 48.47%. It was the first closely contested election since independence from Britain in 1960. Clerides, 68, and Vassiliou eliminated incumbent Spyros Kyprianou on Feb. 14 in the first round in the Greek part of the Mediterranean island.

Turkish Cypriot voters on Sunday gave their veteran leader, Rauf Denktash, an overwhelming endorsement for his hard-line stand on unity talks with Greek Cypriots. Unofficial results reported by the electoral board gave Denktash 68.6% of the ballots for the presidency of the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara. The main opposition candidate, Ismail Bozkurt, had 30.4%, while the third contender, leftist Alpay Durduran, received less than 1%.

Greek Cypriots vote today in the second and decisive round of the most heated presidential election since Cyprus won independence from Britain 28 years ago. The outcome is wide open in the race between veteran right-wing leader Glafcos Clerides and political newcomer George Vassiliou, finalists after the first round of voting last Sunday. Clerides, 68, topped that balloting with 33.32% of the vote by the 363,000-strong electorate.