Nicos Christodoulides was elected president of Cyprus on Sunday, securing his bid to oversee the Mediterranean island whose economy was buffeted first by the pandemic and now by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its associated rise in living costs.
Christodoulides, 49, stood as an independent candidate and won 51.9% of the vote in the runoff, compared with 48.1% for Andreas Mavroyiannis, 66, a career diplomat who also ran as an independent, with all votes counted, according to Cypriot Interior Ministry figures. A first-round vote on Feb. 5 failed to deliver a victory to any candidate.
“I will engage with political parties to appoint a council of ministers with a broad consensus,” Christodoulides said following his win. “My main objective is Cypriot reunification as soon as possible.”
