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Christodoulides tops poll but Averof seen as likely presidential winner

Nikos Christodoulides

 It is still too early to be discussing the 2023 presidential elections, ruling Disy leader Averof Neophytou said on Monday after a poll showed Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides leading the running for the post.

The Disy leader, asked to comment about the poll published in daily Kathimerini on Sunday, during a visit in Larnaca said that polls were merely taking “snapshots”.

According to the poll, Christodoulides is by the most popular candidate with almost one in three respondents – 32.2 per cent – choosing him as the most suitable to take over the country’s presidency.

But to the question ‘who do you believe will be the next president?’, 27.7 per cent said it would be the Disy leader, while it dropped to 20.4 per cent for those believing Christodoulides would actually win the race. Third most likely to be the next president, according to the poll, is Diko leader Nikolas Papadopoulos with (15.9 per cent), followed by President Nicos Anastasiades, who has said he would not run for a third term, with 11.4 per cent.

In terms of popularity Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos garnered 10.9 per cent and former Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Markoullis 9.4 per cent. Neophytou (7.1 per cent) was slightly lower than President Nicos Anastasiades (7.2), while lawyer Achilleas Demetriades was at 6.1 per cent.

The Akel leader Stephanos Stephanou was the choice of 1.2 per cent of respondents.

The poll, carried out by Insights Market Research (IMR) on behalf of Kathimerini, canvassed 800 people over 18 from all districts with the right to vote.

Regardless of whom respondents deemed most popular, however, Neophytou is believed to be the next president, according to the findings.

“We have a long way to go before the presidential elections,” Neophytou said, adding that Disy would decide about a candidate when the time is right.

He reiterated that Disy will have its own candidate. “Our goal is for the country to stay on the right track and for political, economic and social stability to continue,” Neophytou said.

Christodoulides has yet to confirm if he is interested in standing in the elections, but Disy deputy chair Harris Georgiades told Alpha TV on Monday that during a meeting, the foreign minister said he would not run as an independent. Last week Georgiades said that if Christodoulides was interested in running as president, he should be bound by the party’s procedures. This means that if Disy’s collective bodies approve, he would then be the party’s candidate. Georgiades also stressed the party was not eyeing favourably any moves by Christodoulides running as an independent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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