Presidential elections in Cyprus will be decided in a second round Kyiv: Dead civilians in Kherson and Kharkiv + “Putin promised not to kill Zelenskyy”

In the presidential elections in the small EU island republic of Cyprus, there will be a second round in a week (February 12). Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulidis (49) won the first round on Sunday after counting almost all votes. The Ministry of the Interior announced this in the evening. The conservative former chief diplomat initially received almost 32 percent of the vote.

His opponent will be the diplomat Andreas Mavrogiannis (66), who is supported by the left-wing party AKEL. It comes out at about 29.7 percent. He thus wins an exciting duel for second place against the representative of the conservative party (DISY), Averof Neofytou (61), who received 26.2 percent, the Ministry of the Interior further announced.

The election is important because the president, elected directly by the people, appoints and directs the government. Election experts and analysts expect intense negotiations in the coming days between the two candidates in the second round and the first-round loser, the conservative Averof Neofytou. Polls give Christodoulidis, who is also conservative, more likely to win the second round. Left-back Mavrogiannis is at a disadvantage as he now has to woo voters from the Conservative spectrum and the political center.

The new head of state’s first task will be to resume talks to end the division of the island in the Mediterranean, which has been stuck since 2017. The northern part, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has only been internationally recognized by the government in Ankara since its partition in 1974. For this reason, only the southern part of the island was chosen. The Turkish Cypriot north does not participate in the political events in the south.

The new president will also have to commit himself to the fight against nepotism. In addition, the increasing number of asylum seekers is perceived as a problem. According to EU statistics, the small island republic of Cyprus has by far the highest number of asylum applications per year relative to its population size. In 2021, 13,260 asylum applications were received there.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 after a Greek coup and Turkish military intervention. The buffer zone between the two parts of the island is guarded by United Nations peacekeepers. The Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004. However, EU law only applies in the south of the island. (sda/dpa)