Cyprus - February 2023

Nikos Christodoulides, former Foreign Minister, was elected President after winning 51.9 per cent of the vote in a run-off against Andreas Mavroyiannis in the closest presidential election since 1998. Christodoulides ran as an independent candidate after defecting from the ruling centre-right Democratic Rally (DISY) party in 2022, throwing divisions within the party into sharp relief. It was the first time in DISY’s history that the party did not have a candidate in the presidential race, after DISY leader Averof Neophytou placed third in the first round of voting. DISY subsequently declared itself an opposition party and Neophytou announced he would not run again for the party leadership. The voter turnout was 72 per cent, continuing a trend of declining turnout in presidential elections. Key issues for the new government will include corruption, the rising cost of living, migration policy, and deadlock in reunification talks with Turkish Cypriots. Christodoulides has pledged to promote institutional reforms, including through measures to prevent conflicts of interest among state officials and MPs, and to upgrade public administration.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Cyprus Mail, Governance Program 2023, International IDEA