Incumbent Cyprus president to face leftist-backed rival in runoff

The incumbent president of Cyprus has finished first in the presidential election, but failed to secure an outright majority to avoid a runoff, with observers predicting a tight race between the conservative candidate and his communist-backed rival.

According to the official results of Sunday’s vote, President Nicos Anastasiades garnered 35.5 percent of the votes, while left-leaning independent candidate Stavros Malas bagged 30.25, meaning the two will go head-to-head in a runoff on February 4.

The two men had faced each other in the second round of the 2013 presidential election, in which Anastasiades went on to win by one of the widest margins in Cypriot election history.

Both candidates have said they would reach out to Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to examine the prospects for the resumption of negotiations on the unification of the divided Greek and Turkish sections of the Mediterranean island.

Speaking after the polls closed, Anastasiades expressed his readiness to invite other parties to form a coalition government and repeated a pledge not to seek a third term if he won a second one. The nation’s presidency does not carry terms limits.

Malas, who ran as an independent with the support of the communist-rooted AKEL party, told jubilant supporters that his campaign was based on straight talk. He criticizes the current administration for not doing enough to reunite the country.

“A large social majority has expressed its desire for real, creative and hopeful change for our country,” he said.

Last July, two years of UN-brokered talks between Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader aimed at ending the island’s nearly 44-year division collapsed as they failed to narrow their differences over key issues, including the future of tens of thousands of Turkish troops in the north.

Anastasiades, however, insists he wants talks with Akinci to restart soon.

The Cypriot election also saw Nicholas Papadopoulos, leader of the center-right DIKO party and the son of late president Tassos Papadopoulos, trail in third place with nearly 25.74 percent.

About 28 percent of eligible voters did not cast ballots on Sunday, a significant percentage given Cyprus’ traditionally high voter turnout rates.

The large number of vote absentees confirmed pre-election concerns about voter apathy among many Cypriots who are struggling with the consequences of a 2013 economic collapse of the island.

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