The former leader of diplomacy of this small divided island, member of the European Union, has ahead of his rival Andreas Mavroyiannis with 51.92 % of the votes.
MO12345LEMOND With AFP
The former chief of Cypriot diplomacy Nikos Christdoulids won the presidential election on Sunday, February 12 on the divided island of the eastern Mediterranean, after a ballot centered essentially on the fight against inflation and the corruption. 49 years old, he is the youngest head of state ever elected at the head of Cyprus.
He obtained 51.92 % of the votes (204,680 votes), ahead of his rival, Andreas Mavroyiannis, which was credited with 48.08 % according to the government’s electoral service. The participation rate was 72.2 %. In a statement to the press, Mr. Mavroyiannis conceded his defeat, congratulating Mr. Christdoulides.
The election had been presented as tight: Nikos Christodoulides, head of diplomacy between 2018 and 2022, had come first in the first round, February 5, with 32.04 % of the vote, just ahead of Mr. Mavroyiannis , 66, another experienced diplomat, former ambassador to France and Ireland, credited with 29.59 % of the vote. The first, supported by the centrist parties, like the second, supported by the Communist Party Akel, the country’s first opposition force, presented themselves as independent.
The new president succeeds the curator Nicos Anastasiades, 76, who completes two five -year terms. After the defeat of his candidate in the first round, the party of Mr. Anastasiades, Disy, who excluded Mr. Christdoulides for having been a candidate against the party’s advice, had refused to give voting instructions, leaving the game Open.
The rise in energy and food prices remains at the top of the concerns of Cypriots. Inflation reached 10.9 % in 2022, before a slowdown in January, at 7.1 %. The Communists, who supported Mr. Mavroyiannis, were very criticized for their management of the 2012-2013 financial crisis, who almost rushed Cyprus, a member country of the euro zone, in bankruptcy.
The question of reunification
The new Head of State will be called upon to relaunch talks on the reunification of the island, when stopped since 2017. Cyprus has been divided since the invasion by Turkey in 1974 of its northern third, in response At a coup d’etat of Cypriot-Greek nationalists who wanted to attach the country to Greece.
The Republic of Cyprus only exercises its authority over the southern part of the island, separated by the green line – a demilitarized area controlled by the UN – of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus North (RTCN), self -proclaimed and recognized only by Ankara. Mr. Mavroyiannis, former chief of the Cypriot-Grecs negotiators in talks on reunification (2013-2022), had promised whether it is elected to reopen the discussions from the first day. M. Christdoulids displays a harder position.
The fight against corruption also occupied the electoral debate, especially after the “Gold Passports” scandal. This program to grant passports against investments on the island had to be canceled due to allegations of corruption.
Another sensitive subject on this island near the Côtes du Middle East and Turkey: the influx of migrants, for which the two candidates had promised to act. The authorities say that 6 % of 915,000 people living in the south of the island are asylum seekers.