NICOSIA: Cypriots voted in large numbers on 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.

A record 14 candidates — but only two women — are standing, with the winner needing 50 per cent plus one vote to succeed two-term President Nicos Anastasiades.

There was a strong turnout, with 312,008 votes cast by 3pm, chief returning officer Costas Constantinou said. That figure constitutes 55.6pc of the electorate — a 4.7pc increase on the same time during the last presidential election in 2018. Opinion polls predict a run-off on Feb 12, with no contender expected to secure an immediate outright majority.

“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.

Many analysts say former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides is the favourite. Backed by centrist parties, the 49-year-old commands a firm lead in opinion polls but not enough to shake off his rivals.

He is likely to face off in the second round against either Andreas Mavroyiannis, a 66-year-old technocrat backed by communist party AKEL, or Averof Neofytou, 61, leader of the governing conservatives, DISY.

“Only through unity, through a collective effort, can we really meet the expectations of the Cypriot people,” said Christodoulides after voting in Paphos, in the island’s southwest.

The last opinion poll by state broadcaster CyBC on January 27 had Christo­doulides leading at 26.5pc, Neofytou at 22.5pc and Mavroyiannis at 21pc.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2023