Cyprus kiest communistische president (en)
Cyprus' communist party leader Dimitris Christofias won Sunday's (24 February) elections, becoming the EU's only communist head of state.
Mr Christofias, the head of the communist Akel Party, won against former foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides with around 54% against Mr Kasoulides' 46.6 percent.
About half a million people were eligible to vote at these elections, including 390 Turkish Cypriots, with some 91 percent of them voting, according to Bloomberg.
Despite being Soviet-educated and leading a communist party however, Mr Christofias has vowed to preserve his country's market economy and ruled out nationalisations of companies.
In addition, countering attacks to his EU commitment in a debate with his rival last week, he insisted he was "not a Eurosceptic".
But he added: "I'm a Euro-fighter. I fight for Cyprus's best interests within Europe. I won't say yes to everything the EU says," Bloomberg reports.
However, what Mr Christofias' election also brings to the table, are hopes for a relaunch of discussions on the reunification of the divided island.
Cyprus has been independent since 1960 and divided since a Turkish invasion of the island's northern part in 1974, triggered by a Greek-inspired coup.
Currently Northern Cyprus is only recognised internationally by Turkey.
Both Mr Christofias and Mr Kasoulides campaigned on re-launching the peace talks that had stopped in 2004 after a failed referendum on the matter, when Greek Cypriots rejected the idea of reunifying Cyprus.
"There is only one ideology: Cyprus and its salvation and a more just society," the new president told his supporters in Nicosia last night.
"This is the vision we will serve with all our abilities," he added.
Mr Christofias' Akel party has traditionally good relations with Cypriot Turks and analysts note that the conditions are currently good for a re-launch of the process, as Northern Cyprus has also been run by moderate left-wing President Mehmet Ali Talat since 2005.
Turkish Cypriots welcomed Mr Christofias' election.
"We consider this change as a chance and we wish that negotiations [on the island's reunification] start immediately, without useless preliminaries," stated Hasan Ercakica, spokesperson for the Turkish Cypriots.
"We cannot wait another 34 years to solve this conflict," Turgay Avci, Northern Cyprus' foreign minister, told the Daily Telegraph.
But according to some, good personal relations between Mr Christofias and Mr Talat need to be backed by serious efforts and compromises in order to obtain real results.
"Having good relations is a positive factor, but it won't be enough to deliver a solution," Ozdil Nami, a member of the Turkish Cypriot parliament who belongs to Mr Talat's party, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
"Christofias and Talat would have to make a compromise necessary for a solution and then succeed in convincing their populations," he added.