University of Cyprus rector could shake up presidential race

The findings of a survey announced on Friday suggested a rather predictable race could be shaken up by the possible candidacy of University of Cyprus rector Constantinos Christofides.

The survey, commissioned by online business portal Stockwatch, asked voters to state their preference among various candidates in the 2018 presidential election, as well as the expected run-off between the two that will prevail in the first round.

Under all scenarios tested, incumbent President Nicos Anastasiades looked poised to win against either Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos or Akel-backed former Health Minister Stavros Malas.

Among existing candidates in the first round, Anastasiades won 27 per cent of the polled respondents, Papadopoulos 16 per cent, Malas 13 per cent, while Yiorgos Lillikas won 3 per cent, with 1 in 5 still undecided and 14 per cent stating the intention to not vote.

But when Christofides was thrown in the first-round mix, Anastasiades and Papadopoulos saw their shares drop in favour of the new challenger.

In this scenario, Anastasiades got 23 per cent, Papadopoulos 14 per cent, Malas 12 per cent, Christofides 9 per cent and Lillikas 2 per cent.

Again, 1 in 5 were still undecided and 12 per cent said they won’t vote at all.

According to the poll, Christofides mainly drew votes from the two leading candidates, as well as the pool of voters who expressed no interest in voting.

Christofides has not yet announced his decision whether to stand or not.

In the second round, Anastasiades scored 36 per cent when pitted against Papadopoulos, who won 25 per cent.

Opposite Malas, Anastasiades’ lead was even wider, with the President winning 40 per cent and the Akel candidate 21 per cent.

The Papadopoulos-Malas scenario presented the narrowest spread, with Papadopoulos at 32 and Malas 25 per cent.

More than two in five respondents said the upcoming presidential election interests them “a little” or “not at all”.

About six in 10 said they were unsatisfied with Anastasiades’ handling mostly of the Cyprus problem, but also the economy and domestic issues.

The survey was commissioned by Stockwatch from Cymar Market Research Ltd.

It comprised 1,006 telephone interviews with voting-age individuals between September 21 and 27.

The statistical error range is 3.09 per cent, with a 95 per cent degree of confidence.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.