Related: Cypriots to Cast Ballots in Presidential Election

Over half a million Cypriot voters, mostly Greek Cypriots, were casting their ballots on Sunday in a neck-and-neck presidential race expected to determine the future of the divided Mediterranean island.

Nine candidates are competing for the presidency, while the election is mainly a competition among three contenders -- incumbent President Tassos Papadopoulos, Parliament Speaker Demetris Christofias and former Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

Papadopoulos, who led Greek Cypriots to reject a plan to achieve Cyprus' reunification initiated by then UN chief Kofi Annan in April 2004, is seeking another five-year term.

Papadopoulos said he would work hard to ensure a solution Cyprus deserves, while his opponents hold him responsible for the deadlock of the reunification process.

"Today Cyprus is stronger than ever," Papadopoulos said after casting his vote. "Our future is in your hands."

Christofias, the parliament speaker and general secretary of the left-wing AKEL, bid for the presidency with a promise of a more flexible approach in negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot community, separated from the Greek south.

Christofias said if he is elected, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots would be able to together build a happy and prosperous Cyprus.

The third major contender, former Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, promised he would take Cyprus forward to a modern European state.

He blamed Papadopoulos for Cyprus' "isolation" in the West after Papadopoulos led the rejection of the 2004 UN plan. Kasoulides promises to play a more active role in the international arena by using his good personal relationship with other European leaders.

A total of 1,159 polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) for some 516,000 registered voters, including 390 Turkish Cypriots living in the government-controlled south.

The stations would close at 5:00 p.m.(1500 GMT), and the final results are expected to be officially announced by 20:30 (1830 GMT).

Chief Returning Officer Lazaros Savvides said the voting was continuing smoothly, but the turnout by 10:00 local time (0800 GMT) was 16.3 percent, some four percentage points lower than the previous election in 2003.

It is widely expected that no candidate can secure over 50 percent of the votes in the first round, and the two front runners would face a runoff next Sunday.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers who pushed for union with Greece.

Cyprus is internationally represented by the Greek Cypriot government in the south, while the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north is recognized only by Ankara.

In a referendum held in April 2004, Greek Cypriots under the leadership of Papadopoulos rejected the Annan Plan for fear that it would be in Turkey's favor, while Turkish Cypriots approved it.

After the presidential election, fresh efforts to revive the deadlocked reunification process are expected to be launched by both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

The United Nations and the European Union have also encouraged a new search for a viable solution to the decades-old Cyprus problem.