Issue 1/2018

Presidential Elections

Cypriots went to the polls on 28 January 2018, in Cyprus and at designated polling stations abroad, to elect the President of the Republic for the next term in office, covering the period from 2018 to 2023.

Incumbent President Nicos Anastasiades and independent presidential candidate Stavros Malas will face each other next Sunday in the run-off election for the next President of the Republic of Cyprus, since no candidate secured more than 50% of the votes validly cast.

There were nine candidates running in the elections: Nicos Anastasiades, who is backed by the Democratic Rally (DISY) party, Stavros Malas, running as an independent and supported by the Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL), Nicholas Papadopoulos, backed by the Democratic Party (DIKO) which he heads, the Movement for Social Democracy (EDEK), the Solidarity Movement as well as the Cyprus Green Party, Yiorgos Lillikas who is backed by his own party Citizens’ Alliance, Christos Christou who is supported by his party ELAM, Michalis Mina, President of the Justice Party, and the independent candidates Charis Aristidou, Andreas Efstratiou and Christakis Kapiliotis.

During the first round of the presidential elections, Nicos Anastasiades gathered 35.51%, while Stavros Malas secured 30.24%. Nicholas Papadopoulos followed with 25.74%, while Christos Christou ranked 4th with 5.67%. Yiorgos Lillikas ranked 5th with 2.18%. Participation in the first round reached 71.88% and abstention was 28.12%.

Cypriots will return to the ballot box on 4 February 2018 to choose the next President of the Republic of Cyprus.

The inauguration of the new President will be held before the House of Representatives during an extraordinary session, which will take place by 1 March 2018 the latest.