End of an era for Nicos Anastasiades in Cyprus after two terms in the presidency
By Antonis Anzoletou
End of an era for Nicos Anastasiades in Cyprus after two terms in the presidency. The Constitution does not allow a third term anyway. On Sunday the landscape will become clearer and probably a week later, with the repeat round of elections, Cyprus will change the page. In Nicosia, the capital of the island, the aroma of the ballot box is strong. Discussions about the next day dominate as the stakes are high. The failure to resolve the Cyprus issue in 2017 and the unbridgeable gap with Turkey do not leave much room for the future.
Many years have passed without negotiations and Ankara’s achievements in Famagusta and the EEZ show that Tayyip Erdogan will promote as much as he can – if re-elected – the two-state solution and the upgrading of the occupied part of Cyprus. Illegal immigration was discussed in particular during the pre-election period, as by analogy the island of Aphrodite reportedly hosts the largest number of illegal immigrants in Europe. There are many security issues.
In 2026, Cyprus will assume the presidency of the EU. and one of the new president’s big bets is to restore the island’s lost credibility after the golden passports scandal. In the economy, the increase in the cost of living has caused reactions from the labor unions who ask for the Automatic Price Indexation measure to be reinstated. Borrowing costs are also one of the future challenges.
Nikos Christodoulidis is alleged by all the polls to have an air in relation to the president of DISY Averof Neophytou and the independent supported by AKEL Andreas Mavroyiannis. The “bra de fer” will be tough for the second place, as the last polls had the last two candidates far ahead. Of course, no one can predict the final result of tomorrow’s ballot.
The DISY is already going through difficult times, as it is estimated that around 1/3 of its voters support the “rebel” Nikos Christodoulidis. A possible failure of him to pass to the second round would bring a lot of introversion to the winner of the 2021 parliamentary elections. Not that things are better in AKEL, as the General Secretary, Stefanos Stefanou, will not find himself in an easy position if for the third consecutive time once failed in the presidential elections. On the political chessboard there is also ELAM, which is present on behalf of the far-right forces.
The candidates are trying to mobilize the Cypriot people to vote and if possible to drop the abstention below the 30% recorded in the previous elections. If it is calculated that on the island about 20% of the inhabitants are not registered in the electoral rolls and 1/3 do not go to the polls, in the end about half vote. In Cyprus, the population is estimated to reach one million and 561,033 have been registered in the electoral rolls.
Two thousand policemen have been deployed who will monitor all the polling stations tomorrow in order for everything to run smoothly. Last night the candidates made their last statements to the Cypriot people and as of today the party staffs have put down their pencils. In Cyprus, the polls open at 7 am, the process is interrupted at 12 for the electoral commissions to take a one-hour break, and voting resumes at 1 pm. to conclude at 6 p.m. At that time, the first exit polls are expected. A clear picture based on results is expected around 9 pm.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
