Cypriots began voting for their president on Sunday, worried about corruption scandals and runaway inflation more than the reunification of the Mediterranean island divided for nearly half a century.
Fourteen candidates, three of whom are running in the lead, are standing against more than 561,000 voters in the southern part of the island to succeed right-wing president Nicos Anastasiades.
According to the polls, no candidate would be able to win an absolute majority. A second round would then be organized on February 12.
The 1,113 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and closed at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. GMT) with a one-hour break in the middle of the day.
“Voting began without hindrance,” returning officer Costas Constantinou said.
A member of the European Union since 2004, Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in 1974 in response to a coup by Greek-Cypriot nationalists who wanted to reunite the country with Greece. .
The Greek-Cypriot government exercises its authority only over the southern part of the island, separated by a demilitarized zone under UN control, called the Green Line, from the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and recognized only by Turkey, where the Turkish-Cypriots live.
Nikos Christodoulides, who presents himself as “independent”, is given the favourite. This 49-year-old diplomat, supported by centrist parties, was President Anastasiades’ foreign minister between 2018 and 2022.
His main opponents are Andreas Mavroyiannis, a 66-year-old diplomat backed by the communist party Akel, former chief of the Cypriot-Greek negotiators in the reunification talks (2013-2022), as well as Averof Neofytou, 61, party leader conservative in power, Disy.
Hubert Faustmann, professor of politics and history at the University of Nicosia, speaks of a “strange” ballot where “the three favorites are linked to the current president”, who at 76 is completing two five-year terms.
First challenge for the new leader: inflation, which reached 10.9% in 2022. Despite a slowdown in January, to 7.1%, the rise in prices, in particular of energy and food, remains in head of concern and the country experienced a general strike at the end of January.
The fight against corruption also dominated the electoral debate, especially after the “golden passport” scandal. This program of granting passports against investments on the island had to be canceled due to allegations of corruption, tarnishing the image of the government of Mr. Anastasiades.
Nikos Christodoulides, however, does not seem to have been splashed. “The explanation he gave seems plausible for the population, he said he had no direct responsibility,” said Andreas Theophanous, of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs.
“Corruption is at the heart of the debate, like the economy and daily life. The Cyprus problem (division, editor’s note) is a secondary subject,” said Giorgos Kentas, associate professor of international relations at the University of Nicosia.
Another sensitive subject on this island in the eastern Mediterranean, close to the coasts of the Middle East and Turkey: the influx of migrants, for which the candidates have promised to act. Authorities say 6% of the 915,000 people living in the south of the island are asylum seekers.
According to EU figures, Cyprus has the second highest rate of first-time asylum seekers relative to its population in the European Union, behind Austria.
The government accuses Turkey of orchestrating a large part of the arrival of refugees from Syria and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa via the Green Line.
The future head of state will rightly be called upon to relaunch peace talks, stalled since 2017, to end the division of the island.
On this issue, Mr. Christodoulides is considered a “hawk” and wants the EU to isolate Turkey.
Mr. Neofytou is seen as a pragmatist, while Mr. Mavroyiannis has softened his stance to agree with the Akel party line.
The UN-sponsored diplomatic process is stumbling on many points, such as the presence of 40,000 Turkish troops in the TRNC.
Of the more than 561,000 voters, 730 are Turkish Cypriots registered in the southern part of the island, returning officer Constantinou said on Friday.
He added that 10,346 Cypriots abroad are also registered on the electoral lists.
05/02/2023 08:11:50 – Nicosia (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
