President of Cyprus

Nikos Anastasiadis, President of Cyprus (re-elected on Feb 4, 2018)

Nicos Anastasiades (born 27 September 1946) is a Greek Cypriot politician who has been President of Cyprus since 2013. On 4 February 2018, he was re-elected for a second five-year term. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally and a Member of Parliament for Limassol.

In March 2012, Nicos Anastasiades was nominated as a candidate for the 2013 presidential election, against his rival MEP Eleni Theocharous in a vote among the 1,008 strong executive of the Democratic Rally. Nicos Anastasiades received 673 votes (86.73%) and Theocharous received 103 (13.27%). In the first round of the presidential election on 17 February 2013, Anastasiades won 45% of votes, while Stavros Malas and George Lillikas earned 26.9% and 24.9%, respectively. He won in the second round against Malas with 57.48% of the vote and was sworn in as President on 28 February 2013.

He married Andri Moustakoudi in 1971 and they have two daughters. He has a twin brother and a sister.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicos_Anastasiades

Demetris Christofias, Former President Cyprus

Demetris Christofias (Progressive Party of the Working People, AKEL) was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus in the second round of the presidential election that took place on 24th February winning 53.37% of the vote in comparison with 46.63% for his rival Ioannis Kasoulides (Democratic Rally, DISY).

Turn out was slightly higher than that recorded during the first round on 17th February rising to 90.84% i.e. +1.42 point. It is obligatory to vote in Cyprus.

“The people have voted. Victory does not just belong to the Progressive Party of the Working People, we triumphed together. Tomorrow is another day and we have a number of problems to overcome. We must rally together and work as a team to achieve the reunification of our homeland,” declared Demitris Christofias when the results were announced.

Ioannis Kasoulidès acknowledged his defeat and congratulated his adversary. “It was a difficult campaign. We discussed issues that have never been addressed until now. I assured Demetris Christofias that I would stand by him to find a solution to the Cypriot problem,” he indicated. In the end the support of Archbishop Chrysostomos II, head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church did not enable Ioannis Kasoulides to win through over his rival, leader of the island’s main party which is supported by the Democratic Party (DIKO) led by outgoing president Tassos Papadopoulos, the Movement of Social Democrats-Centre Union (EDEK), the United Democrats (EDI) and the Ecologist and Environmentalist Movement-Green Party (KEP).

Demetris Christofias who is sixty and who benefited from a scholarship from the former Soviet Union holds a degree in history. Elected Secretary General of the Progressive Party of the Working People in 1988 he became chairman of the Chamber of Representatives, the only Chamber in Parliament after the general elections on 27th May 2001, won by his party with 34.7% of the vote. He was re-elected to this post after the elections of 21st May 2006.

In 2004 Demetris Christofias was against the peace plan put forward by the UN in view of the country’s reunification and voted “no” as did the majority of Greek Cypriots (75.83%) whilst 64.9% of Turkish Cypriots approved the plan.

His victory makes Demetris Christofias the first Communist Head of State of Cyprus and also in the European Union. According to political observers the present European Commissioner, Markos Kyprianou, son of former Cypriot President (1977-1988) Spiros Kyprianou, may very well become Foreign Minister. According to information released in the press, the Democratic Party will be attributed 3 ministries and the Movement of Social Democrats-Centre Union, 2.

“It is not his priority to transform Cyprus into a Communist State. The aim is to modernise the country and democratise Cypriot institutions,” declared AKEL spokesperson, Andros Kyprianou who said that the next Finance Minister would not be from AKEL but would be chosen by consensus.

Demetris Christofias is often described as a eurosceptic. He was against his country’s adoption of the euro on January 1st. “I am not a eurosceptic. I am a eurofighter. I fight to defend the interests of Cyprus in Europe. I shall not systematically say no to everything put forward by the European Union,” he said on 22nd February.

“He is a pragmatic Social Democrat. He is not even an anti-capitalist. At first he may be the cause of a few raised eyebrows in the European Union. But he is not what springs to mind when we think of the word ‘Communist’,” maintains Hubert Faustmann, professor of international relations at the University of Nicosia. “AKEL has almost been a capitalist party for years” said the Vice-President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, Theodore Couloumbis.

The revival of negotiations on the island’s reunification – split since July 1974 by a “green line” controlled by the UN Blue Berets, comprises Demetris Christofia’s priority. The new President is in favour of a federal solution and is recommending the establishment of an independent, demilitarised, non-aligned country.

During his electoral campaign he said that he wanted to open negotiations with the Turkish part of the island under the auspices of the UN. “I want to send a message of friendship to Turkish Cypriots, the message of a joint battle for us so that we can manage our affairs without foreign intervention. We must move forwards on the Cypriot issue to find a joint solution and open communication channels with Turkish Cypriots,” he declared when the results were announced. “I think the problem of Cyprus can be solved by the end of this year,” indicated the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat (Republican Turkish Party, CTP).

LINK: http://www.robert-schuman.eu/oee.php?num=503

Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos, Former President of Cyprus

Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos (Greek: Τάσσος Παπαδόπουλος; born January 7, 1934) has been the president of the Republic of Cyprus since 2003. He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. He was educated at the Pancyprian Gymnasium in Nicosia and then studied law in London (Gray’s Inn, Barrister-at-Law).

In the late 1950s, Papadopoulos was active in PEKA, the political section of EOKA.

He took part in the London Conference in 1959 and was one of the two delegates (besides the AKEL delegates) who voted against the signing of the London and Zurich Agreements. He was also one of the four representatives of the Greek Cypriot side at the Constitutional Commission which drafted the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.

For 12 years he served successively as Minister of the Interior, Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Minister of Health and Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

He served as advisor to the first representative of the Greek-Cypriot side in the intercommunal talks, Glafkos Klerides, until April 1976 and subsequently he took up that post himself, serving until July 1978.
He represented Cyprus at many international conferences, particularly the annual congresses of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Furthermore he represented the Greek Cypriot community in many recourses by Cyprus filed at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Until his election he practiced law in Nicosia.

At the Parliamentary elections held on 15 July 1970 he was elected member of the House of Representatives, standing as an Eniaion (Unified Party) candidate for the Nicosia constituency. Standing as an independent candidate, he was re-elected in the election of 5 September 1976. From April until October 1976 he served as President of the House of Representatives. In the 19 May 1991 parliamentary elections he was elected member of the House of Representatives, standing as a candidate for the Democratic Party in the Nicosia constituency. He was re-elected on 26 May 1996.

On 7 October 2000, he was elected unopposed President of the Democratic Party during the historic electoral congress at which the founder of the Party, Spyros Kyprianou, stood down. At the 27 May 2001 elections he was re-elected at the head of the Democratic Party ticket.

He was a member of the National Council, Chairman of the Standing Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs and member of the Committee on Selection and the Committee on Financial and Budgetary Affairs. He was also Co-chairman of the Joint Cyprus-EU Parliamentary Committee.

He campaigned for the 2003 presidential election on a platform that he would allegedly be able to secure better deal over the Cyprus dispute than the incumbent Glafkos Klerides. He was backed by not just his own party, Diko, but also the party of the Left AKEL and social democrat Kisos.
Papadopoulos assumed the Presidency on 28 February 2003 after a 51.51% win, having won the elections on the first round.

Before the 2004 Annan Plan Referendum he urged Greek Cypriots to vote No, declaring “I received a state; I will not deliver a community”. His recommendation is considered one of the reasons for the referendum’s negative result on the Greek Cypriot side.

He is married to Fotini Michaelides (of the family of Anastasios Leventis) and they have four children: Konstandinos, Maria (from Fotini’s previous marriage with Polykarpos Georkadjis), Nikolas and Anastasia.