Despite appeals all day on Sunday from candidates and the election service for people to go out and vote, abstention was the highest-ever in a presidential election on Sunday, reaching almost 30 per cent.
Although 550,876 people were registered, only 71.4 per cent of them voted, more than 10 per cent down on the presidential election in 2013 where 83.14 per cent went out to vote. Though Sunday’s voting bloc was low, the 2016 parliamentary elections had a turnout of only 66.74 per cent.
On Sunday, turnout in Nicosia was 72 per cent, Limassol 69 per cent, Famagusta and Larnaca both 71 per cent, Paphos 74 per cent and Overseas 71 per cent. The latter voted overwhelmingly for Stavros Malas.
Analysts have already cited a number of variables for the general apathy developing among the electorate from disillusionment with the lack of a Cyprus solution to the shock of the financial crisis and a series of corruption scandals that have lowered confidence and trust in parliament and the executive.
On Sunday, abstentions reached 28.12 per cent, invalid votes 1.48 per cent, and blank votes 0.87 per cent. The percentage of valid votes was 97.64 per cent.
Abstentions aside, all cities – except Paphos – followed the same trend, leading as predicted with support for President Nicos Anastasiades, followed by Akel-backed independent Stavros Malas and Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos.
Paphos, however, showed overwhelming support for Papadopoulos giving him 37.98 per cent of the vote with Anastasiades lagging behind with 27.17 per cent. Paphos also favoured far-right Elam with seven per cent. Citizens’ Alliance leader Giorgos Lillikas was not shown any favouritism in his hometown of Paphos, receiving only 2.86 per cent of votes, barely a step up from nationwide figure of 2.18 per cent.
Famagusta, a traditional stronghold of ruling Disy, gave Anastasiades 43.58 per cent of the vote and far-right Elam an overwhelming 9.46 per cent, almost double the party’s nationwide 5.65 per cent support.
Anastasiades’ birth city Limassol put him in the lead with 38.19 per cent, lagging behind Famagusta but up some four per cent from his Nicosia support and two per cent from Larnaca.
Outsiders Andreas Efstratiou (0.22 per cent), Haris Aristidou (0.19 per cent), Mihail Mina (0.17 per cent) and Christakis Kapiliotis (0.1 per cent) did not even manage to get a total of one per cent of the vote between them.
This did not stop Kapiliotis saying he should still have a seat in the cabinet of whoever is finally elected on February 4.
FINAL RESULTS
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Christos Christou | 21,846 | 5.65% |
| Michalis Minas | 662 | 0.17% |
| Nicolas Papadopoulos | 99,508 | 25.74% |
| Nicos Anastasiades | 137,268 | 35.51% |
| Charis Aristidou | 752 | 0.19% |
| Costas Efstratiou | 845 | 0.22% |
| Christakis Kapiliotis | 391 | 0.10% |
| Yiorgos Lillikas | 8,419 | 2.18% |
| Stavros Malas | 116,920 | 30.24% |
CANDIDATE PER DISTRICT
| N.ANASTASIADES | S.MALAS | N.PAPADOPOULOS | G.LILLIKAS | C.CHRISTOU | |
| Nicosia | 34.11% | 29.95% | 27.29% | 2.41% | 5.62% |
| Famagusta | 43.58% | 28.49% | 16.00% | 1.96% | 9.46% |
| Larnaca | 36.74% | 36.55% | 19.20% | 1.64% | 5.42% |
| Limassol | 38.19% | 28.40% | 25.83% | 2.03% | 4.66% |
| Paphos | 27.17% | 24.01% | 37.98% | 2.86% | 7.00% |
| Abroad | 31.78% | 40.81% | 20.86% | 1.67% | 4.44% |
VOTER PARTICIPATION
| Presidential elections 2018 | Presidential elections 2013 | Parliamentary elections 2016 | |
| Nicosia | 72.4% | 82.45% | 65.50% |
| Limassol | 69.2% | 83.04% | 66.09% |
| Famagusta | 71.8% | 84.30% | 67.14% |
| Larnaca | 71.8% | 84.30% | 67.94% |
| Paphos | 74% | 84.58% | 72.31% |
| Overseas | 71% | 80.00% | 62.97% |
| Total | 71.4% | 83.14% | 66.74%# |
