Demetris Christofias, a builder’s son with the common touch, became the European Union’s first communist head of state yesterday, defeating a right-wing rival in Greek Cypriot elections that have renewed hopes of a peace deal to reunify Cyprus.

Car horns blared in celebration across Nicosia, the divided capital, as final results gave the Moscow-educated politician 53.36 per cent of the vote to 46.64 per cent for Ioannis Kasoulides. Jubilant crowds outside Mr Christofias’s Akel party headquarters waved Cyprus flags emblazoned with the logo “Just Society” while some held aloft red banners bearing Che Guevara’s image.

Mr Christofias replaces a septuagenarian hardliner who led Greek Cypriots in a rejection of a UN reunification plan four years ago. Tassos Papadopoulos was surprisingly dumped by voters in last week’s first round, leaving two moderates on the Cyprus problem from opposite ends of the political spectrum contesting yesterday’s run-off. Mr Kasoulides and Mr Christofias promptly pledged last night to work together to help to reunite Cyprus.

Mr Christofias, 61, has better contacts with the Kremlin than with the White House or Downing Street and once declared that Britain, the island’s former colonial master, had “proved our bad demon” for the past half a century.

Yet Mr Christofias’s victory will cause few jitters in Brussels or London. Akel, the Progressive Party of the Working People, puts pragmatism before its Marxist-Leninist ideology and is social democrat in practice. Mr Christofias has assured the business community that he will not tamper with the booming economy and rejects claims that he is Eurosceptic. Diplomats liken Akel to old Labour in Britain. Hubert Faustmann, an analyst at Nicosia University, told The Times: “I expect Christofias to sometimes rhetorically pay tribute to his communist roots but in substance being very, very pragmatic, particularly in relations with the EU.”

More important to the EU than his communist colouring is Mr Christofias’s commitment to reach out to the estranged Turkish Cypriot community to explore how to reunite the island. Cyprus’s 34-year-old division is an irritant to the EU and a main obstacle to Turkey’s hopes of joining the bloc.

“At this time I want to send a message of friendship to ordinary Turkish Cypriots, a message of a common fight to reunite our homeland so we are in charge of our own affairs without foreign intervention,” Mr Christofias said after casting his own vote.

The UN, jaded by repeated failures, is now due to back another drive to clinch a Cyprus settlement after four years of stalemate. A senior UN mission is expected on the island next month to test the waters.

The 2004 UN peace blueprint, known as the Annan plan, was backed by the Turkish Cypriots although they were left out in the cold when Cyprus, represented internationally by the Greek Cypriots, entered the EU divided a week later.

The first-round success of conciliatory candidates was hailed across the island’s divide by Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader, who telephoned Mr Christofias to congratulate him.

“There is a wind of change according to the elections in southern Cyprus,” Mr Talat said. “We hope to begin negotiations with the new Greek Cypriot leader soon.” An aide to Mr Talat said that the two leaders had already agreed to meet.

Top man

— Demetris Christofias has been leader of Akel since 1988, an MP since 1991 and Speaker since 2001

— He was born in 1946 in the port of Kyrenia, now in Turkish- controlled northern Cyprus, and has the official status of a refugee from the Turkish occupation

— He is a keen football fan

— He met his wife, Elsie, while studying in Moscow. Their three children are rarely seen

Sources: Agencies; Times archive

Times Recommends

• It’s only Brits who don’t appreciate me, says Blair
• Party’s over for Greek graspers
• White House tightens security for Xmas marathon