Cyprus - 2013 Presidential Election
Presidential elections were held on 17 February 2013. A runoff was held on 24 February 2013. Nicos Anastasiades of the Democratic Rally won the election. The other candidates were Stavros Malas of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL); Praxoula Antoniadou of the United Democrats; Lakis Ioannou with the support of LASOK; Loukas Stavrou; ELAM's Giorgos Charalambous, Giorgos Lillikas of Movement for Social Democracy (EDEK); and independents Andreas Efstratiou, Makaria-Andri Stylianou, Kostas Kyriacou(Outopos) and Solon Gregoriou.
Voters in Cyprus went to the polls Sunday 17 February 2013 to elect a new president who must negotiate a financial rescue to prevent a government bankruptcy that could reignite the euro zone debt crisis. Current President Demetris Christofias did not seek re-election. The change in leadership came at a crucial juncture for Cyprus as the other countries that use the euro are expected to soon decide on a financial lifeline for the tiny country. Right-wing opposition leader Nico Anastasiades led opinion polls over his two main rivals, left-wing Stavros Malas and independent Giorgos Lillikas. Anastasiades was the most pro-bailout figure among the contenders. Malas campaigned on a pro-bailout, but anti-austerity platform, while Lillikas rejected a bailout, saying Cyprus could extricate itself from its financial woes by selling its natural gas reserves. Opposition leader Anastasiades won 45 percent of the vote in the first round, about 18 percent more than Communist-backed Stavros Malas.
On February 24, 2013 conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades won an overwhelming victory in Cyprus' presidential runoff, boosting hopes he will quickly act on his pledge to seek a bailout deal with international lenders to prevent the country's financial meltdown. Final election results showed Anastasiades took 57.5 percent of the vote, far ahead of his left-wing rival, the Communist-backed Stavros Malas, who finished with 42.5 percent.
Stock markets rallied and politicians praised a European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout agreement for Cyprus reached early 24 March 2013 after marathon talks in Brussels. The deal radically cut Cyprus's oversized banking sector, and forces losses on depositors holding more than 100,000 euros (about $130,000) in savings. It also called on the government to cut spending and carry out economic reforms, including privatizing state assets.
Nicos Anastasiades was elected as President of the Democratic Rally in 1997, a position that the members and officials of the party firmly trusted him with by being re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2012. At the same time Nicos Anastasiades was being elected Member of the House of Representatives from 1981 until his election to the Presidency of the Republic. During his lengthy term he has served the Parliament as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Committee on Educational Affairs, Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs until 2006 as well as Vice-Chairman and member of many other Committees. He has also been elected Vice President of the House of Representatives for the years 1996-2001 and he has served as Parliamentary Spokesman of the Democratic Rally.
In his political course, Nicos Anastasiades actively participates in the international political scene. From his position as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as Head of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as Head of the Cyprus delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), he represented the Cyprus Parliament since 1991 and takes part in a number of international missions, specialized conferences and visits.
Since his election to the Presidency of the Democratic Rally he participated in all the European People’s Party (EPP) Summits and Conferences, he represents the Democratic Rally in the European Democrat Union (EDU) and actively participates in all the conferences of the International Democrat Union (IDU).
His regular presence and interventions in Summits and Conferences have reinforced the positions of the Democratic Rally in these groups, while through interpersonal relations he has developed, he has contributed so that the political positions of these groups fully identify with the positions of the Greek Cypriot side on the national matter.
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