17 February 2008 - 16H49

Cyprus president in surprise election defeat
Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos was defeated in Sunday's presidential election, as challengers Demetris Christofias and Ioannis Kassoulides head for a second-round runoff next week.

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Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos was eliminated in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, with challengers Ioannis Kassoulides and communist Demetris Christofias heading for a runoff on Feb. 24.
 

Final results showed Kassoulides ahead with 33.5 percent of the vote, Christofias second with 33.3 percent, and Papadopoulos third with 31.78 percent.
 

Analysts said Sunday's election was crucial for stalled Cyprus peace talks. Papadopoulos had led his Greek Cypriot community to reject a U.N. peace plan for Cyprus in 2004.

 

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