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Presidential elections were held in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
on 17 February 2008, with a second round runoff on 24 February."Incumbent eliminated from Cyprus presidential election in major surprise"
, Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), February 17, 2008.
The second-round winner, and thus the President of Cyprus for the next term, was
Dimitris Christofias Dimitris (Δημήτρης) is the Modern Greek form of the older forms Demetrios, Dimitrios (Δημήτριος, usually Latinized as Demetrius) and may refer to: *Dimitris Arvanitis (born 1980), Greek professional football defender who plays for ...
. The first round saw a close result between three leading candidates,
Dimitris Christofias Dimitris (Δημήτρης) is the Modern Greek form of the older forms Demetrios, Dimitrios (Δημήτριος, usually Latinized as Demetrius) and may refer to: *Dimitris Arvanitis (born 1980), Greek professional football defender who plays for ...
of
AKEL The Progressive Party of Working People ( el, Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ; abbr. , AKEL; tr, Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist–LeninistHelena Smith, Cyprus gets ready for a communist 'takeove ...
,
Ioannis Kasoulidis Ioannis Kasoulides ( el, Ιωάννης Κασουλίδης; born 10 August 1948 in Nicosia, Cyprus) is a Cypriot politician, party member of Democratic Rally, DISY and current List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Cyprus), Minister of Foreign ...
of
Democratic Rally The Democratic Rally ( el, Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός, translit=Dimokratikós Sinagermós, ΔΗΣΥ/DISY) is a liberal-conservative, Christian-democratic political party in Cyprus led by Averof Neofytou. The party was found ...
, and the incumbent
Tassos Papadopoulos Efstathios "Tassos" Nikolaou Papadopoulos ( el, Ευστάθιος (Τάσσος) Νικολάου Παπαδόπουλος; 7 January 1934 – 12 December 2008) was a Cypriot politician and barrister who served as the fifth president of Cyp ...
. Results showed Kasoulidis in first place with about 33.51%, Christofias in second with 33.29%, and Papadopoulos in third with 31.79%. Christophias and Kasoulidis therefore participated in a second round on February 24. The elimination of Papadopoulos in the first round was viewed as surprising. In the second round, Christofias won with 53.37% against 46.63% for Kasoulides. He was sworn in as President on February 28. According to the exit-polls, Papadopoulos was voted by 40% of "No" voters in the Annan referendum and 5% of the "Yes". Christofias by 35% of the "No" and 34% of the "Yes" voters and Kasoulidis by the 24% of the "No" and 62% of the "Yes" voters.


Candidates

Papadopoulos (
DIKO The Democratic Party ( el, Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΔΗΚΟ), ''Dimokratikó Kómma'' (DIKO)) is a Greek-Cypriot nationalist, centrist political party in Cyprus founded in 1976 by Spyros Kyprianou. DIKO is variously described as ce ...
) announced in late July that he would run for re-election. In early July 2007, the ruling coalition (consisting of DIKO,
AKEL The Progressive Party of Working People ( el, Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ; abbr. , AKEL; tr, Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist–LeninistHelena Smith, Cyprus gets ready for a communist 'takeove ...
and
EDEK The Movement for Social Democracy ( el, Κίνημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατών, translit=Kinima Sosialdimokraton, EDEK) is a Greek Cypriot, social-democratic political party in Cyprus. Overview The party was founded by Vasos Lyssaridis in ...
) fell apart due to a lack of consensus on a common candidate for the presidential elections; AKEL general secretary Dimitris Christofias was proposed as a common candidate by AKEL, but rejected by DIKO and EDEK (who both will support Papadopoulos' bid for reelection), which AKEL took as a reason to leave the ruling coalition. Thus, both Papadopoulos and Christophias contested the election. The
Ecological and Environmental Movement Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...
(KOP) decided on November 18, 2007 to support Papadopoulos. The movement supported him in 2003 as well. Furthermore, the
Democratic Rally The Democratic Rally ( el, Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός, translit=Dimokratikós Sinagermós, ΔΗΣΥ/DISY) is a liberal-conservative, Christian-democratic political party in Cyprus led by Averof Neofytou. The party was found ...
support
MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...
Ioannis Kasoulidis, a former foreign minister, and Kostas Themistokleous, a former minister of agriculture and environment, also contested the election. Controversial MEP
Marios Matsakis Marios Matsakis (born 2 August 1954) is a Greek-Cypriot doctor, coroner, forensic pathologist, and politician who served as Member of the European Parliament and Member of the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from 2004 to 20 ...
announced on 29 December 2007 that he would contest the election. Marios Matsakis was elected two times as a member of the Cypriot parliament and once as member of the Εuropean Parliament with the support of DIKO. The Secretariat of the Movement of the
United Democrats The United Democrats ( el, Ενωμένοι Δημοκράτες (ΕΔΗ), ''Enomenoi Dimokrates'' (EDI)) is a liberal political party in Cyprus. The party was founded by former President of Cyprus George Vasiliou in 1993 as ''Kinima Ele ...
initially considered to support Themistokleous but at the end they supported Christophias to minimize the possibility of Papadopoulos' re-election. Nine candidates were eventually approved to participate in the elections. Each candidate had to be recommended by one Cypriot citizen and supported by eight more. The names of the candidates announced on 18 January 2008 were: *
Tassos Papadopoulos Efstathios "Tassos" Nikolaou Papadopoulos ( el, Ευστάθιος (Τάσσος) Νικολάου Παπαδόπουλος; 7 January 1934 – 12 December 2008) was a Cypriot politician and barrister who served as the fifth president of Cyp ...
, supported by DIKO, EDEK, Evroko,
ADIK Adik is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Govindrao Adik (1939–2015), Indian politician *Ramrao Adik (1928–2007), Indian politician and lawyer See also *Aşık Aşık is Turkish for Ashik, a traditional musician and trouba ...
, KOP *
Dimitris Christofias Dimitris (Δημήτρης) is the Modern Greek form of the older forms Demetrios, Dimitrios (Δημήτριος, usually Latinized as Demetrius) and may refer to: *Dimitris Arvanitis (born 1980), Greek professional football defender who plays for ...
, supported by
AKEL The Progressive Party of Working People ( el, Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ; abbr. , AKEL; tr, Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist–LeninistHelena Smith, Cyprus gets ready for a communist 'takeove ...
,
United Democrats The United Democrats ( el, Ενωμένοι Δημοκράτες (ΕΔΗ), ''Enomenoi Dimokrates'' (EDI)) is a liberal political party in Cyprus. The party was founded by former President of Cyprus George Vasiliou in 1993 as ''Kinima Ele ...
*
Ioannis Kasoulidis Ioannis Kasoulides ( el, Ιωάννης Κασουλίδης; born 10 August 1948 in Nicosia, Cyprus) is a Cypriot politician, party member of Democratic Rally, DISY and current List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Cyprus), Minister of Foreign ...
, supported by DISY, Kinima Eleftheron Politon, Evropaiki Dimokratia, Laiko Sosialistiko Kinima * Kostas Themistokleous *
Marios Matsakis Marios Matsakis (born 2 August 1954) is a Greek-Cypriot doctor, coroner, forensic pathologist, and politician who served as Member of the European Parliament and Member of the House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from 2004 to 20 ...
*
Andreas Efstratiou Andreas Efstratiou ( el, Ανδρέας Ευστρατίου) is a Cypriot bridal shop owner and perennial candidate. He has been a candidate in every Cypriot presidential and parliamentary election since 2000 and every European election until 2019. ...
*Anastasis Michael *
Christodoulos Neophytou Christodoulos Neophytou ( el, Χριστόδουλος Νεοφύτου, born 29 May 1950) is a Cypriot economist who was born in Famagusta and now lives in London, England. He studied Applied Economics in London London is the capital and ...
*
Kostas Kyriacou Kostas Kyriacou ( el, Κώστας Κυριάκου; born 10 June 1958), also known as "Outopos" ( el, Ούτοπος), is a Cypriot farmer and perennial candidate. He studied Medicine at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, resides in Pap ...
(Outopos)


Campaign


Second round

After the first round of the election and the elimination of Papadopoulos, the latter's party,
DIKO The Democratic Party ( el, Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΔΗΚΟ), ''Dimokratikó Kómma'' (DIKO)) is a Greek-Cypriot nationalist, centrist political party in Cyprus founded in 1976 by Spyros Kyprianou. DIKO is variously described as ce ...
, announced its support for Christofias"Communist chief gains edge in Cyprus poll"
, AFP (news.com.au), February 21, 2008.
although Papadopoulos himself stayed neutral. Christofias had offered three ministerial positions to DIKO, including that of Minister of Foreign Affairs, in addition to the post of President of the House of Representatives, while Kasoulides had offered five ministerial positions in exchange for DIKO's support.
EDEK The Movement for Social Democracy ( el, Κίνημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατών, translit=Kinima Sosialdimokraton, EDEK) is a Greek Cypriot, social-democratic political party in Cyprus. Overview The party was founded by Vasos Lyssaridis in ...
also backed Christofias, on the proposal of its Political Bureau, with 109 members of its Central Committee voting in favor of supporting Christofias, five voting against, and two abstaining. The
Cypriot Orthodox Church The Church of Cyprus ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Κύπρου, translit=Ekklisia tis Kyprou; tr, Kıbrıs Kilisesi) is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communion ...
leader
Archbishop Chrysostomos II Chrysostomos II ( el, Χρυσόστομος Β΄), born Irodotos Dimitriou (Greek: Ηρόδοτος Δημητρίου; 10 April 1941 – 7 November 2022), was the Archbishop of Cyprus from 2006 to 2022. Clerical career Chrysostomos was born i ...
backed Kasoulidis.
Ecological and Environmental Movement Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...
on 21 February 2008 decided to support Dimitris Christofias. Evroko,
ADIK Adik is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Govindrao Adik (1939–2015), Indian politician *Ramrao Adik (1928–2007), Indian politician and lawyer See also *Aşık Aşık is Turkish for Ashik, a traditional musician and trouba ...
and Marios Matsakis announced that they will support neither of the two candidates. Kostas Themistokleous backed Ioannis Kasoulidis.


Debates

On 26 January 2008 the three main candidates, Papadopoulos, Christofias, and Kasoulidis, debated on television. The debate was transmitted by all Cypriot TV stations. The three candidates were questioned by journalists from RIK, MEGA,
ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece. The alternate spelling is wordplay in Greek; ''ena'' (ένα) is the Greek number ''1'' (one), thus ''ANT1'' is pronounced the same as ''Antenna'' (Αντέννα). It laun ...
,
Sigma TV Sigma TV is a commercial network in Cyprus that commenced broadcasting on April 3, 1995. It is a private service and is currently the first-rated channel in Cyprus. Sigma TV is geared at a younger audience, with the focus on the 18-45 age group. ...
and
CNC Plus TV Plus TV is a private national free-to-air television channel. It is the sixth private TV channel established in Cyprus. Its first official broadcast took place on July 28, 2006. History Its first official broadcast was in the mid-2000s as ''As ...
. The debate started at 9.45PM local time and lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes. Each candidate had three minutes to answer each question and 1.5 minute for every follow-up question. The procedure was divided in 6 sections and, at the end of each section, each candidate had 3 minutes to give a short speech and 1.5 minute for a short comment. On 14 February, a second debate was held. The subject of discussion was the
Cyprus dispute The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus dispute, Cyprus issue, Cyprus question or Cyprus conflict, is an ongoing dispute between Greek Cypriots in the south and Turkish Cypriots in the north. Initially, with the occupation of the island ...
.


Opinion polls

A collection of opinion polls taken before the elections is listed below. Beginning on 11 February 2008, no opinion poll is allowed to be published.


Results


Geographical distribution

File:Casoulides.jpg, Kasoulidis' distribution (1st round) (in Greek) File:Christophias.jpg, Christofias' distribution (1st round) (in Greek) File:Papadopoullos.jpg, Papadopoulos' distribution (1st round) (in Greek) File:Casoulides-2.jpg, Kasoulidis' distribution (2nd round) (in Greek) File:Christophias-2.jpg, Christofias' distribution (2nd round) (in Greek) File:Comparative.jpg, Final distribution (2nd round) (in Greek)


References


External links


Official Results, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of the Interior



public Issue Observatory

Cyprus Elections & Politics

KyproEkloges.com Cyprus 2008 Presidential Election

Cyprus 2008 Presidential Election Blog
{{Cypriot elections Presidential elections in Cyprus 2008 in Cyprus
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
February 2008 events in Europe