Cyprus President Nikos Anastasi Ades has been re-elected for a second term. In presidential runoff, conservative head of state of EU Member State won 56 percent of vote according to official final result. His linksgerichterer challenger Stavros Malas came to 44 percent. Voter turnout was 73 percent.
The 71-year-old Anastasi Ades had won first round of voting on 28 January with 35.5 percent of vote, former health minister Malas reached second place with 30 percent. Both candidates are in favour of negotiations for reunification of divided Mediterranean island.
Anastasi Ades has announced that next five-year term would be his last. He had asked electorate to trust his experience to ensure that economy continued to grow. "Our country is still faced with problems and what is needed is cooperation of all of us," said Anastasi Ades after his vote. "Regardless of who will be winner tonight, tomorrow must be a day for everyone, of everyone."
The 50-year-old Malas said he was in favour of change in a worn political system in which ordinary Cypriots would be too short. Malas was assisted by party Akel, which has communist roots.
Malas turned to young voters, women and workers who still felt effects of financial crisis, which nearly five years ago had almost led to country's bankruptcy. "We want to build bridges between state institutions and citizens," he said when voting. "And best way to do that is to always tell truth, Truth, Truth, and No lies," he said.
Cyprus has been divided since a putsch backed by n military junta in Greece and a subsequent Turkish military intervention in year 1974. The 1983 declared Turkish Republic of Norrn Cyprus is recognized only by protection power Ankara and is also economically completely dependent on Turkey.
The presidential election takes place six months after renewed failure of negotiations on reunification of Cyprus. The talks between Greek Cypriot Government in Nicosia and Turkish Republic of Norrn Cyprus, which was only recognised by Ankara, had been abandoned after initial high hopes in July.
The Republic of Cyprus joined EU and Euro 2004. Under international law, whole Mediterranean island, which has about one million people, is a member of European Union.
Date Of Update: 05 February 2018, 12:02
