Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides holds a comfortable lead over his two main rivals in the presidential elections being held this Sunday in Cyprus, the final result of which will most likely be decided, according to exit polls, in a runoff next week.
Leading the polls is the former minister, a former member of the ruling Democratic Rally party, who is now running as an independent candidate after causing a schism in the party. Despite his lead, polls indicate that a second round will be necessary and will be held next weekend.
The poll by Cypriot public broadcaster CyBC gives Christodoulides between 30.5 and 33.5 percent of the vote, ahead of his two main rivals, Averof Neophytou and Andreas Mavroyiannis, but far from the 50 percent plus one vote that gives him outright victory.
Neophytou, leader of the ruling party, would get between 26.5 and 29.5 percent of the vote, exactly the same range as the third in contention, the candidate backed by the opposition Akel, Andreas Mavroyiannis.
The three main candidates are perceived as an extension of outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades, who is stepping down after two terms in office. Although Mavroyiannis is running with the backing of the opposition, he served as Anastasiades’ chief negotiator in talks to resolve the historic conflict with Northern Cyprus, the ‘de facto’ state — called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus — recognized only by Turkey.
Otherwise, the provisional electoral participation stands at 67.6 percent at mid-afternoon, according to the director of the elections, Costas Constantinou, in an appearance reported by the portal InCyprus.
This percentage is 1.6 points higher than that recorded in the 2018 presidential election but falls far short of the turnout expectations held by the candidates amid the apathy of the electorate due to the lack of airs of renewal among the main candidates with respect to the policies of the outgoing president.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
