Cyprus' outgoing president Nicos Anastasiades (R) votes at a polling station in Limassol, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (PIO/Handout via Xinhua)
NICOSIA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years.
Former Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, who took the lead in the first round, will compete with Andreas Mavroyiannis, a former envoy to the United Nations (UN).
Chief Returning Officer Costas Constantinou said he expects to announce the final result by 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), about two hours after all polls are closed.
Fourteen candidates participated in the election campaign, with none winning an absolute majority in the first round. Christodoulides, running as an independent, garnered 32.04 percent of the ballots, compared to 29.61 percent by Mavroyiannis, who also ran as an independent and has the support of the left-wing AKEL party.
Averof Neophytou, leader of the ruling DISY party, ended third with 26.11 percent of the vote and was thus left out of the race, ending the party's decade-long hold on power.
Analysts said that the runoff's outcome is wide open and will be decided by disgruntled DISY supporters following Neophytou's failure.
Christodoulides broke with DISY and quit as foreign minister in early 2022 to run as an independent with the support of three small middle-of-the-road oppositions.
At present, voters of the right-wing DISY party have to choose between a "defector" of their own party and a candidate supported by the left.
Though DISY has urged its supporters to vote at will, several party officials have openly expressed support for one of two candidates.
While Christodoulides, 49, was trying to mend relations with the party by promising to offer government posts if he wins, Neophytou called him "Juda" and an "apostate," saying that DISY won't participate in any government irrespective of the outcome.
Christodoulides also served as director of the Diplomatic Office of the President and a government spokesperson. Before entering politics, he was a university professor of political science and a diplomat.
His wife is also a diplomat, currently leading the crisis management department in the Cypriot Foreign Ministry.
With his campaign promises close to the policies of DISY, Christodoulides said that if elected, his priorities would be to preserve a strong economy, stem the downward spiral of illegal migration and revive the moribund negotiations on the long-standing Cyprus problem.
Mavroyiannis, 66, served in various posts under several governments, such as diplomatic representative to the UN, the European Union and some European countries. He also acted as a negotiator for President Nicos Anastasiades in peace talks with the Turkish Cypriot side in 2014.
Mavroyiannis said he would endeavor to resume the Cyprus peace talks and work with the UN, which has presided over the efforts for a Cyprus settlement for over 50 years.
Mavroyiannis nominated a self-made business person for his finance minister ahead of the runoff to alleviate the fear that more austere economic policies may be introduced.
However, many voters are still haunted by the memories of harsh austerity applied during the worst economic crisis in Cyprus 10 years ago, which was blamed on AKEL policies between 2008 and 2013.
The Cypriot economy was saved from bankruptcy in 2013 by a Euro zone bailout, alongside cuts in salaries and pensions and a haircut on bank deposits. ■
Andreas Mavroyiannis, a former envoy to the United Nations (UN), votes at a polling station in Nicosia, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. Mavroyiannis also ran as an independent and has the support of the left-wing AKEL party. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
Former Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides (3rd R), running as an independent, votes at a polling station in Pafos, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (PIO/Handout via Xinhua)
A man votes at a polling station in Nicosia, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
A woman votes at a polling station in Nicosia, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
Two men vote at a polling station in Nicosia, Cyprus, Feb. 12, 2023. The second round of presidential elections started in Cyprus on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 polling stations opened for voting. Two veteran diplomats are vying for the country's presidency for the next five years. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)