Presidential Elections in Cyprus: An End to Anastasiadis Rule
Cypriots are voting in the presidential elections to bring in a new leader, marking the end of nine-year-rule of incumbent president Nicos Anastasiadis. Anastasiadis is the first president ever to not be running for re-election in the history of independent Cyprus, after he stepped down from his post in early April.
The elections are symbolic, and eight candidates are in the running for the post. The candidates come from both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. In Turkish Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat is the most prominent candidate and Greek Cypriots have nominated conservative Nikolas Papadopoulos.
If no candidate manages to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes, the election will go into a second round of run-off on Sunday, April 26.
The result of the voting will be a reflection of the shifting political mood in Cyprus that is moving away from the right-wing politics of Anastasiadis.
The new president will have to synchronize the interests of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots and make a decisive push forward in the stalled peace process. During Anastasiadis’ tenure, there were incremental improvements in relations between the two communities, but the process turned sour after talks in 2016 to reunite the island failed.
The election’s outcome is eagerly anticipated, as the island is at a crossroads of its history. If Papadopoulos triumphs, the status-quo is likely to remain unchanged and the processes of promoting reunification will be undermined. But if Talat is elected, reunification efforts could be bolstered and a stronger push for harmony and peace could be seen in the region.
One thing is for certain – with the voting process underway, the results leading to the potential end of Anastasiadis’ long reign are imminent.
Source: DW (English)