Cypriot incumbent ousted in election

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Challengers advanced in the first round of presidential elections on Cyprus, surprising incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos, who'll be sitting on the sidelines.

Right-wing moderate Ioannis Kassoulides collected 33.5 percent of the vote, edging Communist party leader Dimitris Christofias, who had 33.3 percent, Ekathimerini.com reported Monday. Papadopoulos garnered 31.8 percent of votes.

Kassoulides and Christofias will face each other in a runoff Sunday.

The elections were presented as a choice between Papadopoulos' hard-line stance on efforts to reunite the island's Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities against pledges of his two rivals to revive peace talks.