The numbers show that Cypriots last weekend voted in a similar fashion as in 2013, suggesting that not much has changed in the political landscape over the past five years.
In the first round of the 2013 presidential elections, Nicos Anastasiades received 45.46 per cent, followed by Stavros Malas on 26.91 per cent and Giorgos Lillikas with 24.93 per cent.
In 2018, the incumbent Anastasiades got 35.51 per cent, Malas 30.24 per cent, and Nicolas Papadopoulos 25.74 per cent.
Elam, which did not field a candidate in 2013, this time got 5.65 per cent in the first round.
In Sunday’s second round, Anastasiades garnered 55.99 per cent of the popular vote, with Malas receiving 44.01 per cent. Their respective tallies in 2013 were 57.48 per cent and 42.52 per cent.
“In political terms, it’s as if nothing elapsed during the five years since the last elections,” says Yiannos Katsourides, adjunct lecturer at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Cyprus.
The key driver appears to have been a desire for continuity among the electorate.
“Call it a fear of experimentation, not wanting to rock the boat now that the economy has stabilised since the meltdown of 2013. This was always going to work in favour of whoever was the incumbent,” Katsourides adds.
These elections have once again demonstrated that it is the runoff ballot that counts in terms of gauging public sentiment.
The results indicate that many – corresponding to 2 to 3 per cent of valid ballots cast –- in the first round voted strategically for Malas, in a bid to ensure that Papadopoulos did not progress.
The majority of these strategic voters – many hailing from the internal opposition within Diko – reverted to Anastasiades in the second round.
“It was a refutation, if you will, of Papadopoulos’ ‘new strategy’ for the Cyprus problem. The result indicates the majority of Cypriots still believe in the federal model for a settlement of the Cyprus issue.”
It can be deduced that in the second round Anastasiades grabbed slightly more votes than did Malas from the parties that had backed Papadopoulos in the first ballot.
In addition, as Akel claims, about 7/10 of Elam supporters went over to the Anastasiades camp.
Moreover, calls from the Papadopoulos alliance parties (Diko, Edek and Solidarity) on their supporters to vote for none of the two remaining candidates in the second round largely fell on deaf ears.
Given these appeals for what essentially amounted to a conscience vote, one might have expected an even lower turnout in the runoff.
Yet the opposite occurred. In the first round, turnout was 71.88 per cent, rising slightly to 73.97 per cent in the second.
On the other hand, blank votes cast on Sunday clocked in at 3 per cent compared with only 0.8 per cent in the first round.
Nevertheless, the so-called ‘protest vote’ proved immaterial in the greater scheme of things. In the runoff, 5.64 per cent, or 22,951 registered voters, cast a blank or spoiled ballot. But this paled in comparison to the 46,038 more votes that Anastasiades obtained over Malas.
Crunching the numbers, political analyst Christoforos Christoforou points out that, in 2013, abstentions plus blank/invalid ballots increased by some 28,500 in the runoff compared to the first round.
By contrast, in 2018 this increase consisted of a mere 2,000 votes.
As far as strategy goes, Christoforou says, Malas did not play it optimally in the week between the first and second rounds. He chose to aggressively attack and deconstruct his opponent, censuring him over his economic policies and over the collapsed talks in Crans Montana.
“It didn’t work to his advantage, because in the second round the key is to convince people that you have what it takes to govern.”
43 Comments
Nick
February 5, 2018 at 22:05Their obsession with the Greek flag is annoying. I wonder why we are still divided.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 22:10I blame CM for this,
Nick
February 6, 2018 at 05:20You are right.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 20:14If this is not a blatant provocation by CM to stir up the crap then I dont know and if any person thinks this picture tells the whole story then they are dumb, This picture could be a section of lets says Elam supports, this picture could less than 2% of the whole scene that shows Cypriot flags,
So dont just believe what CM puts up, think of the wider scene and not what Cm wants you to think., Shame on CM for posted this photo, whoever did I would sack them for being unprofessional.
Vova Khavkin
February 5, 2018 at 21:28Greece, it is a foreign country, isn’t it? But Turkish Republic of Cyprus isn’t.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 21:38well said, your 101% correct, the TRNC is a fake area of the ROC, I say that and also nearly all the countries of the world agree, Oh and also the EU and UN,
Philippos
February 6, 2018 at 18:03Even one Greek Flag, unless attached to a Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, is one Greek flag too much. 2% is a riot, or whatever the collective noun is for Greek Flags.
Evergreen
February 6, 2018 at 19:12Catholic churches do not wave a vatican flag.
Philippos
February 7, 2018 at 11:36The only possible justification for flying a Greek flag in Cyprus, except the Embassy, is as the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church. since they were not up for election of Sunday, but maybe should have been, Pindarou Street should not have been awash with those flags. The Catholic Church can do or not do what it likes and has no relevance to the post Cyprus Presidential Election Celebration in Lefkosia
Frustrated
February 5, 2018 at 19:47Ah yes. ‘A desire for continuity’.
Non-resolution of the national issue; non-compliance with the troika’s stipulations; no privatizations of the utilities; kowtowing to the demands of the unions; putting off establishing the NHS; tripping round the world attending useless meetings.
And the continuation of waving the flag of another nation. Yipee!
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 19:51Couldn’t have put it any better, well said 👍👍
Bruce
February 5, 2018 at 20:44Also with the continuation of the non-enforcement of laws and regulations for the rich and powerful,especially in condoning strategic debt defaulting and tax evasion, Cyprus is being turned into a failing state.
Evergreen
February 5, 2018 at 21:56Well said.
Costas
February 5, 2018 at 19:26thats right the people of Cyprus, the legitimate ones are waving the correct flag
Disenchanted
February 5, 2018 at 19:36I can only see Greek flags in that picture…
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 20:05One patriot is there with a small Cypriot flag!, Lucky they didn’t lynch the poor chap.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 20:18This does not paint the whole scene, look at the top I commented your see I have written my disgust on whoever posted the photo this to the article
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:46ROC its a valiant effort you’re making, but even the live media coverage shown on TV here was rather Spartan in terms of the Cypriot flag. Someone should go out to these events and hand out free Cyprus flags to the mob and they should be bigger and cleaner than the Greek ones. Anyone who refuses to wave one should be locked up and sedated.
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 19:56Cypriots are a strange folk, why don’t you wave the flag of Cyprus!! Be proud to be Cypriot! Most of you are not Greek! You only speak their language! Your DNA points to the east not west!
Americans speak English but would never dream of waving a British or English flag! They are proud of their nation!
HighTide
February 5, 2018 at 20:46As a UK resident for the past half century, Costas does not remember how the Cyprus flag looks like.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 20:49Maybe you should show your true colors about your residency which is the UK,
gentlegiant161
February 5, 2018 at 22:50And your fish and chip shop is too isn’t it?
you need to pop into specsavers down Green Lanes, you cannot produce pictorial evidence of your king Canute attitude so stop insulting others with your attitude.
Neroli
February 6, 2018 at 22:13We have 2 different ROCs commenting, or the same one changing his avatar back and forth!
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 20:51How gullible are you to see what is blatantly a portion of picture and come up with an assumption, do you want me to believe that CM made you an idiot, I dont think so.
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 21:10Forget the photo. There are literally no Cyprus flags flown anywhere on the island, it’s always the Greek flag. No national pride at all, in fact I would say the only thing you are proud of is your hourly frappe, cigarettes and almost weekly bank holidays.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 21:13Then your very closed eyed, that all I can say,so what you trying to imply that Cypriots want to be part of Greece?
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 21:22As far as the majority of Cypriots are concerned, Cypriots are Greeks & Cyprus is a Greek island.
If you don’t think this then that’s great, but you are one of the small minority.
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 21:28wow am so sorry hear your lack of knowledge if you believe your making yourself look like a fool, your view of Cyprus is very narrow mind, its probally because your not Cypriot, one sort tells from that.
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 21:34Ok
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:41It’s not a minority GM, nearly every Greek speaking Cypriot I know in Cyprus sees Cyprus as a separate country. They have no wish to join Greece. The flag waiving BS is annoying and it does not represent the majority. It is nevertheless shameful that people put up with it!
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 21:49In my experience it is the opposite.
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:51Yep, I think we have had this conversation before, no?
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:52Might be the town you live in? I’m in Nicosia, you?
GrouseMaster
February 5, 2018 at 21:54I’m in Limassol & Yes I’ve heard this before that it’s a different mind set in the capital.
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:56well here’s hoping things change for the better going forward!
gentlegiant161
February 5, 2018 at 22:41Listen who are you to be so sure that this is a tiny ELAM group while in North London?
Someone posted a video clip from Limmasolgrad grad and it’s ALL Foreign flags.
So dry yer eyes mate, you are wrong, stop hyperventilating andgo lie down .
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 20:07A more ignorant comment could not have been made.
Evergreen
February 5, 2018 at 21:57You mean a foreign flag?
PPetrovicho
February 5, 2018 at 21:59I think he means the one individual right up front with the Cypriot flat, that is the legitimate one, the real Cypriot!
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 22:03Evergreen I thought you might have had some IQ, why you lowering yourself to sarcasim
Evergreen
February 5, 2018 at 22:10No sarcism. A reality. Is it not a foreign flag ?
ROC
February 5, 2018 at 22:13why dont you say just a greek flag?
Evergreen
February 5, 2018 at 22:26The correct term here is a “foreign flag”.