Cyprus ex-foreign minister Nicos Christodoulides wins presidential election
- Christodoulides won 51.9 per cent of the vote. Andreas Mavroyiannis, who took 48.1 per cent, conceded defeat
- He inherits the challenge of trying to revive stalemated peace talks with the country’s Turkish Cypriots
Former Cypriot foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected president on Sunday in a run-off vote, promising a unity government tasked with breaking a deadlock in peace talks with estranged Turkish Cypriots.
Official results showed Christodoulides, 49, taking 51.9 per cent of the vote, compared with run-off rival Andreas Mavroyiannis, 66, who took 48.1 per cent.
Christodoulides ran as an independent with the backing of centrist and right-of-centre parties which typically take a hard line on solving the long-running division of Cyprus.
He broke ranks with his own party, the right-wing DISY, causing fissures in the dominant Cypriot political grouping which had backed its leader who was eliminated in the first knockout race last weekend.
“I look you in the eyes and give you a promise – I will do everything to be worthy of your trust,” Christodoulides told an indoor stadium in the capital Nicosia packed with cheering supporters and accompanied by his wife and four daughters.
“I will be president of all Cypriots,” he said.
Heavy metal music from Joan Jett and Lenny Kravitz blared out of loudspeakers earlier.