NICOSIA, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cyprus votes on Sunday in a close presidential election between three front runners, with the electorate focused more on corruption and the economy than the island’s long-standing division.
A record 14 candidates — but only two women — are standing, with the winner needing 50 percent plus one vote to succeed two-term President Nicos Anastasiades.
Opinion polls predict a run-off on Feb 12, with no contender expected to secure an immediate outright majority.
Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides is the favourite. Backed by centrist parties, the 49-year-old commands a firm lead but not enough to shake off his rivals.
He is likely to face off in the second round against either Andreas Mavroyiannis, a 66-year-old technocrat backed by communist party AKEL, or Averof Neofytou, 61, leader of the ruling conservatives, DISY.
The last opinion poll by state broadcaster CyBC on Jan 27 had Christodoulides leading at 26.5 percent, Neofytou at 22.5 percent and Mavroyiannis 21 percent.
Voters appear more concerned about a cash-for-passports scandal and the pressures of irregular migration on public resources than the island’s decades-old division.
Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkish forces occupied the island’s northern third in response to a Greek-sponsored coup.
The centrist parties that back Christodoulides take a tough line on reunification talks, but his rivals are seen as less hawkish.
Neofytou is seen as a pragmatist and “dealmaker”, while Mavroyiannis backer AKEL champions reconciliation with the Turkish Cypriots.
Of the 561,033 people eligible to vote, 730 are Turkish Cypriots registered in the government-controlled south, chief returning officer Costas Constantinou said on Friday.
He said 10,346 Cypriots abroad are also registered to vote.
Polling stations open at 7 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday with an hour-long break at noon. Voting ends at 6 pm. — NNN-AGENCIES
