CYPRUS: Cyprus voters have given a major boost to President Tassos Papadopoulos in a parliamentary election, lavishing approval on a government which has threatened to veto Turkey's EU entry talks.
The first vote since a failed 2004 referendum on a UN peace plan for the divided Mediterranean island, the election results showed that most Cypriots backed leaders advocating a tough stance towards Turkey as Ankara negotiates its European Union accession.
Parties that backed the UN blueprint saw support erode, while those which fought it won wider voter approval, led by Mr Papadopoulos's Democratic Party which had the biggest gains.
"From tomorrow morning we must jointly face the possible large challenges which lie ahead and struggle towards our aim, which is a truly functional and viable solution," Mr Papadopoulos said in a state address.
With all votes counted, his party had 17.91 per cent of the vote compared to 14.84 per cent in 2001 elections. Although the vote does not directly affect the government, analysts said it would strengthen his hand in dealing with Turkey.
"Papadopoulos can take it as an endorsement of his policies and continue to take a hardline stance," said James Ker-Lindsay at Kingston University in London.
Final results showed big losses for all the parties which had been in favour of a UN power-sharing plan, overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots on the eve of the partitioned island joining the European Union in 2004.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots have lived divided since Turkey invaded Cyprus's north in 1974 in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup. Decades of international efforts to reunite the island have failed.
Analysts say international mediators will have a hard time trying to reimpose the UN proposals, which had called for large degrees of power-sharing.