By Charlie Charalambous
THE government decreed yesterday that the island would go to the polls to elect a new president on Sunday, February 8.
According to assistant chief returning officer, George Theodorou, all hopefuls must submit their candidacy thirty days in advance, by January 9.
Under the constitution, presidential elections are held every five years.
There are an unprecedented seven candidates vying to become president, including incumbent Glafcos Clerides, 78, who has topped most recent polls.
Clerides candidature is backed by the island’s largest party, the right- wing Democratic Rally (Disy).
Independent George Iacovou, 59, a former foreign minister, is backed by communist party Akel, the island’s second biggest party.
Iacovou is seen as the main obstacle standing between Clerides and a second term.
With the centre-right party Diko coming out in favour of Iacovou yesterday, he is a very serious contender for the presidency.
Diko helped Clerides into power, then withdrew its ministers from the cabinet two months ago, unhappy about the “one-sided partnership”.
Diko leader Spyros Kyprianou is determined to see Clerides defeated at the polls after feeling snubbed.
The only other heavyweight among the contenders is former president and United Democrats’ leader George Vassiliou, 66, still a popular figure.
Vassiliou narrowly lost the 1993 election by a margin of less than half a percent (under 2,000 votes).
But this time round, his bid for the presidency is severely hampered by his failure to secure the backing of any major party.
Clerides is fighting his campaign as the man who can solve the Cyprus problem and the champion of the island’s successful bid for EU accession talks, which begin next April.
However, Iacovou has criticised Clerides for lack of any real progress on the 23-year-old Cyprus issue and claims he has mismanaged the economy.
Under the constitution, if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent on February 8, a second ballot will take place the following Sunday between the two front-runners.
Voting is compulsory, and over 400,000 people are eligible to vote.
For the first time, 18-year-olds will be allowed to vote in the presidential elections. The previous age limit was 21.
Theodorou said 1,000 polling stations would be open for voting on election day from 7am to 6pm. The elections would cost about £2 million, he added.
