DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades will be the next President of the Republic, whether or not a runoff ballot is necessary in next month’s general elections, the latest CyBC-commissioned poll has confirmed.
Anastasiades, who is officially endorsed by the DISY and DIKO parties, garnered 38 per cent of preferences – a huge lead over AKEL-backed Stavros Malas with 23.7 per cent. Independent presidential candidate Giorgos Lillikas got 20.4 per cent.
The previous iteration of the poll, released in December, gave Anastasiades 37.1 per cent, Malas 23.1 per cent and Lillikas 20.4 per cent.
Meanwhile the percentage of “undetermined” votes stood at 15.8 per cent, compared to 16.3 per cent in December.
The percentages on election day are calculated based on valid votes alone. Factoring in the effect of the undetermined votes on the actual results on February 17, the number-crunching projected 42.3 to 47.9 per cent for Anastasiades, 25.6 to 30.8 per cent for Malas, and 21.0 to 25.8 per cent for Lillikas.
The million-dollar question is whether these elections will be decided on the first Sunday, which would require Anastasiades to get at least 50 per cent of valid votes cast.
But 72 per cent of respondents feel a second round of voting will be necessary, with just 22 per cent thinking otherwise.
Still, Anastasiades would win out in all second-round scenarios: in a showdown with Malas, 43.8 per cent would opt for the DISY chief and 29.9 per cent for the AKEL man.
Against Lillikas, Anastasiades would have the support of 41.1 per cent, while his opponent would lose out at 31.8 per cent.
In the unlikely event of a second-round contest between Lillikas and Malas, the former gets 31.0 per cent and the latter 26.9 per cent.
Irrespective of who they intend to vote for, most respondents believe that Anastasiades will prevail (61 per cent), compared to 13 per cent for Malas and 10 per cent for Lillikas.
The survey showed also that interest in the elections will grow the closer we get to D-Day. Fifty-seven per cent said they are very/quite interested in the elections, compared to 49 per cent in December. And almost 70 per cent are positive or fairly certain whom they will vote for, while 22 per cent are still dithering.
Anastasiades moreover got the best scores when respondents were asked to rate the candidates. He was picked as the best-equipped to negotiate a bailout with Cyprus’ international lenders, getting 39 per cent, compared to 20 per cent for Malas and 14 per cent for Lillikas.
The DISY leader is also deemed the most capable of “promoting Cyprus’ interests abroad” and as having the “most correct stance regarding the bailout.”
It was not all good news for Anastasiades, however: 33 per cent of those polled said they would not vote for him under any circumstances. Still, on this count, the worst score went to Malas with 38 per cent, with Lillikas faring far better at 17 per cent.
A significant find was the increasing support for signing a bailout, with 57 per cent in favour (definitely/probably), compared to 54 per cent recorded back in December. However, 35 per cent believe Cyprus should not conclude a deal with the troika.
Lastly, 71 per cent of respondents said they were not satisfied with President Christofias’ handling of troika issues, with just 23 per cent stating otherwise.
Carried out by CMR Cypronetwork, the poll covered the period 3 to 13 January and used a sample of 1404 respondents from across the island.
