High turnout as Cypriots vote for new president

Cypriots voted in large numbers Sunday in a close presidential election between three front runners, with the focus on corruption and the economy amid deadlock over the island's long-standing division.

Polling stations closed at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) with a turnout of 72 percent, similar to the last presidential election in 2018, according to chief returning officer Costas Constantinou.

Exit polls indicated there would be a run-off on February 12, after no candidate secured an immediate outright majority.

The winner needs 50 percent plus one vote to succeed two-term President Nicos Anastasiades.

Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides, 49, is expected to go on to the second round, according to state broadcaster CyBC.

Christodoulides will face off against either Andreas Mavroyiannis, a 66-year-old technocrat backed by communist party AKEL, or Averof Neofytou, 61, leader of the governing conservatives, DISY.

Ahead of Sunday's voting, analysts saw the centrist-backed Christodoulides as the favourite.

An exit poll by private TV channel Sigma gave Christodoulides 31-35 percent of the vote, with Mavroyiannis second at 26-30 percent and Neofytou trailing closely with 25-29 percent.

Antenna TV, another private channel, has Christodoulides leading on 34.1 percent, Mavroyiannis second with 27 percent and Neofytou at 24.8 percent.

"All polls indicate that Christodoulides is going to the second round," said Andreas Theophanous of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs ahead of the vote.

"And if he goes to the second round, he is predicted to win."

- 'We are on autopilot' -

Voters appeared concerned about a cash-for-passports scandal and the pressures of irregular migration on public resources, while the issue of the island's decades-old division remains at an impasse.

Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkish forces occupied the island's northern third in response to a Greek-sponsored coup.

"I expect the next president to do something about corruption and to settle the Cyprus question," said civil servant Andreas Georgiadis, 29, after voting in the capital Nicosia.

After voting in Paphos in the island's southwest, Christodoulides said: "Only through unity, through a collective effort, can we really meet the expectations of the Cypriot people." 

The centrist parties that back Christodoulides take a tough line on reunification talks, but his rivals are seen as less hawkish.

Neofytou is seen as a pragmatist and "dealmaker", while Mavroyiannis backer AKEL champions reconciliation with the Turkish Cypriots.

Fotos Constantinou, a car dealership employee, was blunt after voting in Nicosia.

"We are on autopilot and we don't know where the plane is going," the 50-year-old said. "We need a head of state who takes households and the working class into account. Cyprus is not just the Cyprus issue."

Teacher Maria Christodoulou, 45, told AFP: "Some things must change radically in my view, on the Cyprus problem and the economy."

Analysts say campaign pledges to root out corruption and improve the economy are key issues for the electorate.

"Corruption is at the core of the discussion, the economy and daily life. The Cyprus problem is a secondary issue," said Giorgos Kentas, associate professor of international politics and governance at the University of Nicosia.

Although Christodoulides had served in both Anastasiades administrations, he seems to have escaped the taint of corruption.

"People know there is corruption; the explanation that Christodoulides gave seems plausible to them -– that he had no direct responsibility, and they believe that," said Theophanous.

Kentas believes whoever is elected will need "to work hard to re-establish the country's credibility on the world stage."

Despite January inflation slowing to 7.1 percent from 7.9 percent in December, high energy and food prices remain a concern.

More than 561,000 people are eligible to vote, including 10,346 Cypriots abroad.

A record 14 candidates -- but only two women -- stood in the first round of the election.

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By Charlie Charalambous And Chloe Emmanouilidis