Cyprus backs tough line

Cyprus voters gave a major boost to President Tassos Papadopoulos in a parliamentary election.

The first vote since a failed 2004 referendum on a United Nations peace plan for the island showed most Cypriots backed leaders advocating a tough stance towards Turkey. Parties that backed the UN blueprint saw support erode, while those that fought it won wider approval, led by Papadopoulos' Democrats. They had 17.91 per cent compared with 14.84 per cent in 2001 elections.