THE REMAINING two presidential rivals last night locked horns for the last time before tomorrow’s election, with the economy and the Mari tragedy taking centre stage during the often heated live television debate.

In response to what he perceived as the ‘doom and gloom’ campaigning of DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades against the current government, AKEL-backed candidate Stavros Malas played down the situation.

“Our country is not clad in black. It is not a scorched earth. Cypriots have known worse, and with a progressive policy I am sure our country can push forward,” Malas said in his opening statement.

In his opening statement, Anastasiades called for unity.  “Everyone needs to come together so we can face the big, pressing issues at hand,” he said.

Unlike the previous two debates where the candidates were sitting in a row, last night they were placed opposite each other giving them more of an opportunity to literally point the finger when the discussion became animated. This time they were also not as constrained by time.

Anastasiades complained that although Malas’ campaign team accused him of being a ‘yes-man’ for being willing to sign a bailout and slammed him for having ‘connections in Europe’ he said he had never stooped to their level to respond.

Raising his voice to almost shout, Anastasiades said the fact was that it was the same government supporting Malas  that had created unemployment and forced people to rely on charity to get by.

Trying to get the upper hand Malas dug a hole for himself however. 

“You say I will bring about another Mari. You are telling me that I will become a murderer through an accident if I am President,” he said referring to the DISY campaign to equate Malas with the current government’s failures.

Thirteen people died in the naval base blast and the island’s main power station was crippled. A non-binding report on the political responsibility said President Demetris Christofias was ultimately responsible for the blast, while six state officials are being tried for causing death by want of precaution, and homicide by gross negligence in relation to the 13 deaths. 

Although Malas later said that the word “murder” was probably too strong, he had opened Pandora ’s Box, giving Anastasiades an excuse to keep returning to the matter of Mari during the discussion.

When Malas later criticised Anastasiades’ support of a NATO membership saying that it would be akin to “taking our children to war to kill them,” Anastasiades was quick to respond: “There is no need. You kill them in Mari”. 

“Don’t lose your cool,” Malas said although he tried to respond in kind by referring to the 1974 coup d’ιtat, a time of strife and killings that led to the Turkish invasion and the loss of lives and missing persons before and after. 

Malas tried to avoid saying who was responsible for Mari. “Are we here to set up people’s courts?” he said and biting when Anastasiades tried to intervene told him again not to lose his cool. When Anastasiades hit back with a sarcastic remark at his “professor” tone, Malas told him, “you are arrogant”. 

But it was the subject of the economy that the debate started with. 

Cyprus needs a bailout almost as big as its GDP: €17.5 billion, €7.5 billion for its budget and €10 billion for its banks.

Even after a series of wage freezes and pay cuts last year, state coffers have enough funds to last until April, while Cyprus faces a €1.4 billion debt repayment in June.

Anastasiades was asked yesterday to expound on an interview he had given to Reuters news agency stating that he has been in touch with governments and funds to ensure Cyprus had enough cash until it can secure an international bailout.

"This would be in order to complete the (bailout) loan agreement with some comfort, without the threat or the fear of collapse," Anastasiades told Reuters.

"That means not to be under the pressure of a deadline," he added.

Pushed to give specifics during the debate, Anastasiades said one country was an EU member state and another was from outside the bloc.

Malas tried to argue there was no need for a comparable Plan-B of sorts as preparations and negotiations were already underway to sign a bailout agreement. “The debt is viable. The extreme scenario is a projection over the next 3-4 years if nothing changes,” Malas said. 

He said that Cyprus was not bound to borrow €10 billion for the banks, as per the worst-case scenario by PIMCO, the firm that conducted a due diligence on bank portfolios. 

That figure may result in the island’s debt being considered unsustainable, leading to additional measures such as privatisations according to the terms of the memorandum agreed with the island’s international lenders. 

“We do not have time to redo formulas,” Malas said arguing that Cyprus could borrow a sum based on a baseline scenario and then borrow more if necessary at a later stage. 

“I was very surprised by Malas when he said there was no time to negotiate,” Anastasiades said wryly.

“Our debt may not be viable which will lead to privatisations. I thought you were against privatisations,” Anastasiades said. 

Malas' idea was hotly dismissed by journalists, and by Anastasiades who said that Cyprus would be signing a bailout based on the adverse scenario. 

“We are implementing (a bailout) without signing a bailout. That’s the tragedy,” Anastasiades said. 

By getting a short-term loan we can negotiate a bailout to ensure the state debt is sustainable “so we can avoid privatisations,” Anastasiades said trying to allay a running criticism by Malas’ campaign team that the DISY boss would be all too willing to privatise state assets. 

Eventually, Malas tried to push the discussion onwards. 

“We have completely confounded people. We are talking numbers… is that the essence?” Malas said.

The debate was the two rivals’ last chance to electioneer before a moratorium on campaigning as of midnight last night. 

Journalists asked only two questions on the Cyprus problem right at the end of the debate.

THE GOVERNMENT may have made a complete mess of the economy, but this in no way justifies what happened at the finance ministry on Thursday morning, when bailiffs arrived with court warrants to seize assets of the state. Such acts may act as a reminder of the government’s disastrous management of state finances – as if a reminder were needed – but also discredit and undermine the state which will still be here after tomorrow’s elections.

As events unfolded it became blatantly obvious that this was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The bailiffs had invited photographers and TV crews to cover the event as they tried to seize a ministerial car; they reported the car’s driver to the police for driving it into the basement parking area, on the grounds that he obstructed the execution of a court order. 

Next they parked a pick-up truck at the exit of the basement to prevent the cars from leaving.

The show continued when the commerce minister Neoclis Sylikiotis arrived at the finance ministry for a meeting and his car was flagged down, a bailiff demanding that the driver hand over the keys. Sylikiotis got involved in an altercation with the provocative bailiff who insisted that the driver, a policeman, handed over the car keys. It was truly appalling behaviour which did not just embarrass the government but also ridiculed the state and our justice system. 

Camera crews filmed a ministry permanent secretary, a minister and policemen (drivers of the cars) showing utter contempt for court-issued seizure warrants. But why were they put in this position? Did the judge who issued the seizure orders not know that there had been an appeal against the district court decision, regarding a land expropriation case, and that the appeal was before the Supreme Court? 

The state’s request for the rescinding of the seizure warrant, until there was a decision on the appeal, had been rejected by the court which would hear a request for a suspension of the execution of the order on Thursday.

The damage has already been done by the landowner who is in dispute with the state and the irresponsible bailiffs who staged this disgraceful publicity stunt. As the exasperated Attorney-General pointed out, “if they (bailiffs) want to execute warrants, the easiest way would be to start with the state’s property at the courts.” He also asked: “Why didn’t they begin execution of the warrant at the offices of the Court Registrar and the judges?”

He was absolutely right, as this would have brought home the need for judges to show some common sense when taking this sort of decision, which may have embarrassed the government but it was an even bigger embarrassment for the state and the law.

POLITICS and football have one thing in common - springing surprises. Let us turn the clock back, some 3,200 days to April 2004. 

This was when the DISY chief Nicos Anastasiades was being attacked from all directions, persecuted for his referendum sins in the hell of demagoguery, populism and political dishonesty that was rampant at the time. Immersed in the mud that was shovelled upon him by friends and foes alike, he was betrayed by most of his associates because he had dared to speak the language of truth.  

He had attempted to stem the tide of political charlatanism, petty-mindedness and irrationality, a tide that swept everything before it including the last chance for a solution of our national problem. Everyone, friend and foe, considered him politically dead, and were awaiting, from day to day, the confirmation of this death. 

If anyone, back then had dared to suggest that in 2013 Anastasiades would be elected president of the Republic, he or she would have been the object of merciless ridicule and advised to visit a shrink.   

Whichever way you look at it, today is the day of Anastasiades’ vindication. That persecuted, reviled and scorned man of 2004 will today, barring a super-freak election result, take the country’s highest office. The political leper of 2004 will today wash in the Pool of Siloam like the blind man of the bible and enter the presidential palace.

But fate has played a cruel game. Today, as he celebrates the most successful day of his political life will also be the start of the most difficult period of his career. Circumstances have brought this about. Success was achieved under the most difficult conditions imaginable. The country is facing huge problems. It is now economically bankrupt having become politically bankrupt in 2004, when the demagogues wreaked their havoc. 

Will he be able to lead the country to better days? That is the big question. Anastasiades is an intelligent man and will have realised that he is in the starting block of a race and, just like an athlete, is faced with two possibilities - success and failure. If he succeeds in this extremely difficult challenge he will leave feted as a national hero. If he fails he will be chased from office like Christofias: humiliated, reviled and ridiculed.

How can he leave as a national hero? He should, from now on, always remember a very simple thing: that he has five years to put the country back on track. If it crosses his mind, even once, that he should take decisions geared towards securing re-election in 2018, he will fail spectacularly. This is what happened to Christofias.

To save the country, difficult, tough, daring and courageous decisions that will be unpopular are desperately needed. And the decisions need to be taken tomorrow because the day after tomorrow would be too late. He knows what decisions are needed. 

But these decisions cannot be taken if he does not first shut his ears to the reactions that will certainly be provoked. All the interest groups should be crushed. For some it will be painful, but they are the ones best-equipped to handle the pain. As they say, no pain, no gain. 

The populism and demagoguery of the last 40 years have brought on all of today’s problems. Anastasiades has the opportunity to take a different road from tomorrow. If he does not dare to and spends his term telling people what they want to hear, wallowing in the praise of his courtiers, he may enjoy his presidency more, but after five years he will end up like Christofias.

I wish him success. 

SHOP owners in the Tombs of the Kings area in Paphos yesterday protested plans to build a dual carriageway, which they said would put them out of business.

Entrepreneurs, who blocked the road briefly, said their demands had been ignored by the municipality.

“We cannot consent to our destruction for the sakes of a project,” said Michalis Michael, chairman of the area’s tourist businesses.

Michael said the plan was for construction of a dual carriageway with a dividing strip and a roundabout.

Antonis Hadjicostis, the owner of a restaurant, said the project had been planned 25 years ago when there was nothing in the area.

Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas tried to reassure the entrepreneurs.

“I understand that the shop owners’ interests are affected but they will realise its positive effects when the project is completed,” Vergas said.

The project will modernise and improve an area that is faced with many problems and it was a road with the most fatal traffic accidents, the mayor said.

The shop owners vowed to continue their mobilisation until the local authority changed its position.

FOUR Syrians – two men and two women – were yesterday remanded in custody for four days in connection with impersonation and illegal entry into the Republic, Larnaca police said.

The four were arrested at Larnaca airport at 2am while trying to board a flight to Stockholm via Warsaw.

Police said officers at passport control got suspicious of the suspects’ passports while the photographs on the travel documents did not match the holders.

The suspects told police that they had procured the passports in Turkey and then entered the government-controlled areas through the Turkish-occupied areas.

A police spokesman said the passports appeared genuine and the owners were Swedish nationals.

Police were trying to determine whether the documents had been stolen or secured through a third party.

A hand-grenade exploded in the early hours of yesterday at the entrance of a Larnaca night-club, which had been closed at the time, police said yesterday.

The incident happened at 3am.

The club is located near the port roundabout.

“There was no one inside the building during the explosion,” Larnaca police spokesman Christos Andreou said.

Damage to the property was minimal, he added.

The area was cordoned-off by police who scoured the scene for evidence.

Explosives experts determined that the blast had been caused by a hand-grenade, police said.

Andreou said the grenade was of a different type from one hurled at the offices of a company last Thursday, but did not give any other details.

 “The case is being investigated in combination with other cases we’ve had in the recent past,” Andreou said.

The owner of the club told police he did not suspect anyone.

POLICE were yesterday investigating the sudden death of a 13-year-old boy who collapsed during training on Friday at a martial arts gym in Athienou.

A port-mortem did not shed any light as to the causes of Kyriacos Parpas’ death.

Police said Parpas fell unconscious while training at a local Taekwondo school at around 7pm.

One witness said the boy had complained to his coach during the warm up that he felt tired and he had been sent to take a rest when he collapsed.

People tried to revive the 13-year-old but to no avail.

“He was rushed to a (local) doctor’s office where it was determined that he was dead,” a police spokesman said.

State pathologist Eleni Antoniou, who performed the post-mortem yesterday, said it was inconclusive as to the cause of death.

“Unfortunately we do not have a diagnosis. We need to wait for the results of the histological examination,” Antoniou told reporters.

The funeral took place yesterday.

‘BLACK propaganda’ dominated the final week of the election campaign, which was no bad thing as advertising the opponent’s weaknesses is much more fun for the general public than hearing the empty promises that are misleadingly described as positive campaigning. 

We had enough positive campaigning and some good old fashioned dirt and negativity - of the type that only defeated candidate Yiorkos Lillikas and the newspapers used before last Sunday – was bound to lift things and stir the type of hatred and nastiness that make elections much more entertaining.

The commies kicked off the negative campaigning, first thing on Monday, their chief Andros warning that the election of Nasty Nik, would lead to austerity, pay and pension cuts, restriction of union rights, lowering of the minimum wage, subservience to the troika and privatisations that would add “tens of thousands to today’s 50,000 unemployed.” 

Austerity, cuts and 50,000 unemployed were the achievements of the Tof government, as was the bailout commitment to privatise SGOs, so it was very peculiar that these featured in the negative advertising. 

THE FUHRER’S camp hit back with a negative ad on Wednesday asking voters whether they could put up with a continuation of the AKEL/Tof policies – another Mari, another five years with 50,000 unemployed, 200,000 Cypriots below the poverty line, soup kitchens, even more business bankruptcies, more taxation etc.

The virtuous comrades were livid about this unethical political behavior by Nik’s camp and embarked on a moral crusade to save public life from being brought into disrepute by this ‘black propaganda’. Nicos Katsourides, AKEL’s bruiser and Malas minder, was disgusted with the ‘black propaganda,’ took us back 40 or 50 years and showed “ideological prejudices and fanaticism”. 

AKEL spokesman, the open-minded Giorgos Loucaides, who like Kats has no ideological prejudices and abhors fanaticism, also felt obliged to slam the negative advertising, which was “politically unacceptable and reprehensible.” Like his mentor Kats, the charmless Loucaides, was disgusted that Nik’s camp chose the “road of fanaticism and brutal distortion of the truth.”

The morally superior Loucaides had an explanation for the unacceptable behavior: “Lacking arguments and in an attempt to conceal their repulsive neo-liberal and authoritarian character of their policies from the Cypriot people they resort to what they know best: to black propaganda against their political opponents, distortions intolerance, and lies.”

IT SAID a lot that the Akelites were careful not to knock all types of propaganda. In the rational world it would be enough to accuse your opponents of resorting to propaganda, without giving it a colour, because the connotations are by definition negative. 

For the comrades, however there is also ethical propaganda, which they practise for the good of the people. This is ‘white propaganda’ which is ethically acceptable to resort to. For instance the claim that Stavros Malas was an ‘independent candidate,’ which we heard thousands of times in the last week, is white propaganda because it does not brutally distort the truth, only gently.

The accusation that the Fuhrer will lower the minimum wage down to €500 a month is a lie but is still classed as white propaganda because the source was AKEL which had noble motives for saying it – preventing the Fuhrer being elected.

BY FRIDAY, however, the holier than thou commies climbed down from the moral summit they were occupying and placed some negative advertisements in the press, but this was not, I hasten to add, black propaganda that takes us back 40 or 50 years and brutally distorts the truth.

The ad speculated what Nik would do as president and compared it with what the independent candidate of AKEL would do. Nik would apparently “close the Cyprob in accordance to the wishes of foreigners,” he would “cede out the hope of natural gas to the troika” and of course “exploit the crisis to lower wages.”

The best question of the ad was a triumph of black propaganda as it asked whether voters wanted “a president who would send the youth of Cyprus to get killed for NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq?” 

The Fuhrer supports membership of the NATO affiliate Partnership for Peace so it took a great leap of the usually sterile Akelite imagination to take our youths to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

IN CONTRAST to the Fuhrer, who will “close the Cyprob in accordance to the wishes of foreigners,” Malas will “fight for a right solution, for the liberation and re-unification of our island.” Malas also voted for the Annan plan, but he publicly repented on a TV debate, stating that he backed the plan because he had not read it.

In the hope of attracting the Cyprob hard-liners who voted for Lillikas in the first round this A-plan sinner has turned tough. The pro-Annan plan Akelite Takis Hadjigerogiou, the leading spokesman of the Malas camp has taken a back seat in the last week, and has been replaced by the seasoned, Stalinist sledgehammer, Katsourides, who is a known hard-liner on the Cyprob, in the hope he would attract a few bash-patriotic votes for the independent candidate.

Since last Sunday, Kats has become the shadow of the independent candidate, following him everywhere, including the polling station last Sunday and the TV debate on Friday.

WHY do the commies always feel obliged to refer to AKEL as the ‘democratic and progressive forces’? What gives them the right to monopolise the ‘democratic’ adjective, as if all the other parties were undemocratic? 

For 45 years, the democratic forces of AKEL shamelessly supported, took money and enjoyed very close relations with the most brutal and repressive totalitarian regimes in the world. And what’s worse is that the members of the democratic forces do not behave in a very democratic way.

Just ask the female radio presenter who does a current affairs show every morning. When she asks tough questions of an Akelite guest or expresses an anti-government opinion she is inundated with abusive text messages calling her a whore, a paid agent and threatening her family. Strangely when she is tough with a member of an undemocratic party, she gets no abusive messages.   

YIORKOS Lillikas was ecstatic with his showing last Sunday, his impressive 25 per cent of the vote boosting his ego and arrogance. This was why he staked a claim of ownership to the 25 per cent of the voters and on Monday was declaring that his supporters would cast a blank vote today.

This was bit rash, considering that his main criticism of the leadership of the parties was that they imposed their wishes on their followers. Nevertheless, he decided how his followers would vote before the meetings he was scheduled to have with them on Thursday and Friday. Did he impose his decision on them?

After a productive exchange at these meetings Lillikas’ free citizens agreed that they would go to the polling stations and vote for neither candidate just as their leader had decided they should do before consulting them. 

Lillikas urged his voters, whom he refers to as the ‘movement of subversion and hope’ to stay united because he wants them to be members of the party he will be the leader of. The problem is that once the ambitious Paphite sets up a party he would no longer be able to claim that he is the representative of the citizens.

MEANWHILE, sensing a Fuhrer victory today, hosts of arse-lickers both from within and outside DISY have been swarming around Nik in the last couple of weeks to offer their services to him. A politician’s circle of alleged friends and fanatical supporters grows exponentially when he is expected to win an election and decide the distribution of the spoils. 

And they are as quick to abandon a loser, as Lillikas will soon find out. A tiny fraction of his heroic citizens will stay with his movement of subversion and hope now there is no hope of a public post or a ministerial position. 

As for Nik, we can only express the hope that he would have his bullshit detector turned on at all times because, apart from the flattery attacks by DISY members he will also be at the mercy of Garoyian’s mob of principled courtiers who will be desperate to serve the country from a well-paid public post.

PIMCO landed the Governor of the Central Bank in the merde this week, because it had the nerve to respond to his arse-covering letter, blaming the consultancy firm for the high bank re-capitalisation figure it came up with.

In the letter, Pimco made it very clear that the “the assumptions that were described as Pimco inputs in your letter were, in fact direct inputs from the steering committee.” It also said that “the assumption for the decline in home prices during the forecast period was an explicit assumption provided by the steering committee to Pimco.”

But how would the professor know what the steering committee was doing, when he chose not to sit on it and was represented by middle-ranking technocrat. The Governor could have chaired the steering committee and influenced its decisions as these had to be taken by consensus and there could have been no consensus without the chair’s agreement.

The professor, however had more important things to do, like intimidating bank directors and cultivating relations with the media, than waste his time on ensuring Pimco came up with a realistic figure for the re-capitalisation of the banks. 

WHO WOULD have thought that the Russian Federation would threaten a newspaper with legal action in order to defend the good name of the Soviet Union? It happened in Kyproulla this week, after an article in last Sunday’s Politis which said that “before Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 it secured the approval of the Soviet Union.”

The report explained that “Moscow’s motive was the destabilisation of NATO” and added: “Moscow invested in the perpetuation of the status quo in Cyprus and benefited from the consequences the Turkish invasion had on NATO.” This is a perfectly plausible premise, unless you believe AKEL’s myth that the Soviet Union was a force for good, run by angels.

Strangely, the embassy of the Russian Federation in Cyprus took offence at the remark and wrote to the paper to complain, describing it as “a blatant distortion of historical truth” The paper had to either “seriously substantiate the allegation with documents and trustworthy testimony or officially deny it,” demanded the Russian embassy press spokesman in his letter. 

And if it failed to do so “the embassy reserves the right to solve the problem legally.” It would be a fascinating court case, having the Russian Federation, seeking damages for injury caused to the reputation of the Soviet Union, a state which ceased to exist in 1991. 

I suspect that threatening letter was sent by the embassy spokesman, at the request of AKEL’s commies, the only ‘democratic forces’ in the world with an interest in preserving the good reputation and standing of the Soviet Union.  

THE Sunday Mail withdraws the report it had on 25.10.09 in relation to Christos Clerides and apologises to him.

READERS may have detected a slight bias against the independent candidate of the country’s democratic forces. This is not because Patroclos wants to be appointed a minister in the Fuhrer’s government or is angling for the chairmanship of a privatised SGO, or has a personal grudge against Malas.

In fact, I agree with AKEL’s positive campaigning about Malas being a modern, trustworthy and honest man. The truth is that my greengrocer and my plumber are also trustworthy and honest men, but I would not vote for them if they were standing; my barber maybe, as long as he was not backed by AKEL.

IF A BUSINESS was on the verge of bankruptcy and needed a new CEO, would the shareholders have hired someone with no experience in running a business and no business qualifications to save it? Of course not, but this is exactly what AKEL is expecting us to do with Malas.

We are being told that some nobody with no political experience (he served as health minister for a year and was a failed parliamentary candidate), no knowledge of management (he was a science researcher) and with a mediocre career record would be suitable to run a country threatened with economic annihilation, because he is an honest and trustworthy man.

This is the blackest of all the black propaganda we have heard during this campaign.    

FOR MANY, today’s election result is a foregone conclusion. After all, Nicos Anastasiades, had secured an almost unassailable lead with his impressive 45.4 per cent of the vote last Sunday, his rival today, Stavros Malas taking only 26.9 per cent. Opinion polls conducted even before last Sunday’s vote suggested that Nicos Anastasiades would easily win a run-off election against Stavros Malas by a very big margin.

Logically, the allegedly independent candidate backed by AKEL should not have a chance in hell today. Despite his alleged independence, he is the candidate of the party whose discredited government leaves a scorched earth behind it – a bankrupt state excluded from the markets, record unemployment, record number of people living below the poverty line, soup kitchens, record number of businesses closing down, banks that cannot give credit, etc.

With such dismal record of abject failure, we would have thought AKEL’s presidential candidate would have had trouble receiving 10 per cent of the vote last Sunday, but communist voters are nothing if not blindly loyal to the party. It was astonishing that 118,000 people voted for the man chosen by the AKEL Central Committee, the candidate who used his campaign to defend the catastrophic five-year term of Demetris Christofias. Malas looks certain to lose but an upset cannot be completely ruled out.

Under normal conditions, we would have compared the positions and the qualities of the two candidates but we are not living in normal conditions. We are in desperate need of financial assistance because the state will run out of cash by April and the problems facing the banking sector are mounting. To make matters worse, our potential lenders are dragging their feet over the bailout and there is even talk in EU quarters about the possibility of a hair-cut of bank deposits, which has been ruled out by European Commission officials, for now. 

How wise would it be to vote for the candidate of the party that put us in this position with its poor judgment, prevarication and fear of responsibility? How wise would it be to elect the candidate of the party whose discredited government is deemed so untrustworthy that the EU has given up talking to it? It was the AKEL president who thought he could take the EU and the troika for a ride, trying their patience with his filibustering and populist brinkmanship, turning public opinion against our potential saviours at every opportunity.

Malas, whom we are supposed to believe is an independent candidate, has been repeating the same vacuous AKEL/Christofias rhetoric against the troika. Malas, like his backers, has been attacking our potential lenders and their neo-liberal policies which, he claims he would resist and pursue policies aimed at growth and development (with what funds he would do this he has not informed the voters, especially as he plans to take a hard line with the troika). There is another question that has never been answered – what political experience does Malas have to see Cyprus through the most critical phase in its history? Is this the time to have a man with next to no political experience and no political contacts in the EU leading a country that is on the brink of total meltdown? He is a decent and honest man, but does this make him eligible to lead the country facing Cyprus’ colossal problems? The truth is that he is an apprentice politician, with only a year’s experience as health minister, and therefore totally unsuitable for the most demanding job in the country.

This is no time for experiments or for giving a chance to an inexperienced and unproven politician like Malas. For all these reasons, there is no choice in today’s elections. Nicos Anastasiades has his detractors, but he is an experienced politician who has proved his leadership qualities over the years. At this critical time, Cyprus needs strong and decisive leadership that would mend fences with the EU, restore relations of trust with our partners and eventually end the uncertainty that has been plaguing the country for the last year.

Only Anastasiades can do this and it would be a big boost if the voters give him a strong mandate today, because he will have many tough and unpopular decisions to take in the next few weeks. A big share of the vote will also show our sceptical lenders that the new president has the public backing to sign and implement the memorandum.      

CYPRIOTS are voting today for a new president who will have to swiftly negotiate a bailout agreement that will bring the country back from the brink of bankruptcy but not without the pain of austerity.

It is the second time in one week in which voters go to the polls, as no candidate managed to secure the required majority of over 50 per cent last Sunday.

The choice will be between DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades, who gathered 45.46 per cent of the vote in the first round against 26.91 per cent for his opponent, AKEL-backed Stavros Malas.

Whoever wins will have the difficult task of negotiating a bailout agreement with international lenders in time to provide the cash-starved state a lifeline.

Anastasiades told Reuters in an interview that various parties, including "governments and funds" which he did not identify, had been "sounded out" for a short-term loan to keep Cyprus going until the bailout. "This would be in order to complete the (bailout) loan agreement with some comfort, without the threat or the fear of collapse," Anastasiades said.

The 66-year-old lawyer declined to say whom he had contacted. It was the first time a presidential candidate in Cyprus has disclosed talks to secure a loan ahead of a bailout rescue - talks which have dragged on for eight months.

Malas, who is pro-bailout but anti-austerity, has been trying this week to woo the people who voted for Giorgos Lillikas, who came third with 25 per cent of the vote last Sunday.

Malas has promised to include the forces who back him in a coalition government, but publicly at least, both Lillikas, and his backers EDEK, chose to sit on the fence during the runoff vote.

Campaigning ended on Friday night with a televised debate between the two contenders mostly focusing, as the rest of the long election campaign, on the economy.

It was the first time after the 1974 Turkish invasion that something other than the island’s political problem was the focus of a presidential election campaign.

On Friday, the European Commission slashed its economic outlook for Cyprus, doubling its recession forecast.

“Projections of the economic outlook for 2013 and 2014 point to a prolonged recession, due to further declines in domestic demand and investment activity,” the Commission said.

The island will see its €17.9 billion economy contract by 3.5 per cent this year, the Commission said in its winter economic forecast. The previous autumn forecast released in November had output contracting by 1.7 per cent in 2013.

The economy was expected to contract by a further 1.3 per cent in 2014.

The two candidates spent the day yesterday relaxing in Limassol, ahead of the big day today.

Anastasiades visited volunteers who worked on his campaign and he also said he went to see his 89-year-old mother who wished him all the best.

“The people will decide tomorrow and the people will have the right to judge the person they elected with as much strictness as they saw fit,” the DISY leader said.

Malas, who strolled around the port city’s shops, said he was waiting for the people’s decision.

“We will wait for the people’s judgment. We said what we had to say and now the people will have to think and decide freely,” Malas said.

The 1,139 polling stations will open at 7am and are scheduled to close at 6pm with a one-hour lunch break between 12pm and 1pm.

The results are expected to be known by 7pm and the declaration of the new president taking place at 10pm at the Eleftheria stadium.

Authorities said only 8,000 people will be allowed in the stadium. Large televisions screens have been placed outside for those who will not make it in.

Voters will head for polling stations for the second time in a week

UPDATED: CYPRIOTS are voting today for a new president who will have to swiftly negotiate a bailout agreement that will bring the country back from the brink of bankruptcy but not without the pain of austerity.

It is the second time in one week in which voters go to the polls, as no candidate managed to secure the required majority of over 50 per cent last Sunday.

The choice will be between DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades, who gathered 45.46 per cent of the vote in the first round against 26.91 per cent for his opponent, AKEL-backed Stavros Malas.

Anastasiades said Cypriots had two choices.

“One is to remain and continue with the current administration and the dead ends we face and the other is the choice of a new era,” he said after casting his vote in Limassol. “Today is a defining day, and as I said, people are choosing our country’s course and fortune.”

Financial markets are hoping for an Anastasiades victory to speed up a joint rescue by the European Union and International Monetary Fund before the island runs out of cash and derails fragile confidence returning to the euro zone

Malas said people today were delivering their final verdict, writing a new chapter in the history of the Republic.

“Today, our country’s interest is set above any personal interests,” Malas said. “We are deciding if we want policies that will help our country resist, hold on, and maintain social coherence.”

Whoever wins will have the difficult task of negotiating a bailout agreement with international lenders in time to provide the cash-starved state a lifeline.

"We have to choose between the lesser of two evils," said Georgia Xenophondos, a 23-year-old receptionist who voted for a third contender (Giorgos Lillikas) in the first round. She now plans to vote for the conservative chief, but is wary of backing more austerity.

"We are already damaged by it and I don't know if we can take anymore," she said. "We've hit poverty, unemployment and lost respect from the EU - things we didn't see five years ago."

Fewer voters were expected to show up at the polls than last Sunday after Lillikas refused to back either contender in the runoff, boosting Anastasiades's chances.

About a half million Cypriots are eligible to vote but many are expected to abstain or cast blank votes in protest. Both contenders have implored Cypriots not to shirk their duty.

By 12pm, the turnout was 36.9 per cent compared with 38.9 per cent last Sunday.

"Whatever happens in this vote, the day after is going to be very difficult for Cyprus," said Demetris Charalambous, a 56-year-old convenience store owner. "People are really depressed."

DISY chief Nicos Anastasiades cruised to victory in Cyprus' presidential runoff vote, winning 57.48 per cent of the vote, one of the highest in the Republic’s history.

Anastasiades, 66, will take the reins of a country ravaged by its worst economic crisis in four decades, with unemployment at a record high of 15 per cent.

"It is a clear and strong mandate for change, for reform, for our country to exit this vicious circle of crisis," Tasos Mitsopoulos, Anastasiades' spokesman, told reporters.

AKEL-backed Stavros Malas got 42.52 per cent of the vote.

Pay cuts and tax hikes ahead of a bailout have further soured the national mood.

Financial markets were hoping for an Anastasiades victory to speed up a joint rescue by the European Union and International Monetary Fund before the island runs out of cash and derails fragile confidence returning to the eurozone.

Jubilant supporters have taken to the streets waving Greek and Cypriot flags and honking car horns. 

THERE had to be one last row before the president was elected and the parties put the election campaign behind them. It was sparked by a statement made by Nicos Anastasiades after he had voted in Limassol yesterday morning.

His statement was picked up by the AKEL general secretary Andros Kyprianou, who felt it was a blatant violation of the election law which stipulated that campaigning had to end at midnight on Friday. Attempts at influencing the voters, through statements or advertising, after Friday midnight was a violation of the law.

Kyprianou said he had reported Anastasiades to the Chief Returning Officer, because he “had directed a clear and obvious plea to people to vote for his candidacy which is not allowed by the law.” 

President Christofias was also saddened when he heard, “first thing in the morning, the law being violated by statements which show anything but respect to the citizen and the Republic.” 

It is a bizarre law that prevents a candidate to back his own candidacy on the day of the elections. It is not as if people would consider his comments objective and unbiased. 

And the truth is that when a candidate stands in front of dozens of TV cameras, outside the polling station after voting, even without saying anything he is inviting people to vote for him and therefore ‘illegally campaigning’.

KYPRIANOU said he was “genuinely saddened because there was a violation of the law which stipulates how politicians should conduct themselves when voting.” 

Informed about the complaint, Anastasiades, cheekily said: “I am certain Mr Kyprianou did not read today’s Haravghi, otherwise his first complaint would have been against the (Akel) party publication, which clearly positioned itself in favour of Mr Malas.”

Haravghi’s front page banner headline urged readers to give a “Cross to Stavros”, a blatant case of election-day campaigning, even though it could have been argued that this would not have influenced its readers as they would have voted for Malas anyway. 

The DISY candidate’s dig prompted a written statement from the AKEL leader who was surprised that Anastasiades thought he was justified to break the law because Haravghi had done so. “If Haravghi and any other news medium has broken the law then the appropriate procedure must be followed,” he said.

“But it is not acceptable for a presidential candidate, seeking the vote of the people, to use publications as a pretext to break the law,” concluded Kyprianou adding: “All we who represent institutions must set the good example and act accordingly.”

BUT WHAT had Anastasiades said? “There are two choices: one is to extend and continue today’s administration and the impasses we are facing. The other is the choice of a new era.

“I want to believe that all citizens would go to the polling booths and consciously choose the fate of our country - either to go forward or stay in the past.”

It was not as blatant as the Haravghi headline but it was still campaigning. Then again what is a candidate supposed to say when he is faced by the cameras and journalists asking questions? Candidates used all the clichιs about elections being ‘a celebration of democracy’, ‘today the people will speak’, ‘the sacred right to vote’ and ‘total respect for the result’ last Sunday.

IN THE END it was a case of much ado about nothing. The Chief Returning Officer Andreas Assiotis, after consulting the state legal services to which he had sent a transcript of the allegedly illegal statement, said it did not violate any of the provisions of the legislation.

He said the matter of election-day statements had been discussed with the legal services and “special authorisation” had been given to the two candidates to make statements. 

“The action of the candidates to make statements during election-day is legally permissible on the basis of the special authorisation granted by the Returning Officer in accordance with the relevant legislation,” said Assiotis.

Had Christofias and Kyprianou misinterpreted the election law or was the Returning Officer fudging the issue in order to stay on the good side of the man who would be president?

THE HOT favourite to win was obvious when each candidate arrived at their respective polling stations. Anastasiades, accompanied by his wife, daughters, sons-in-law and three grandchildren, was mobbed by supporters waiting for him, cameramen and reporters complaining that they could not get access to him.

And when he came out to make the allegedly illegal statement, there was a danger that he would be pushed to the floor by the hundreds of supporters who insisted on standing behind pushing everyone forward. 

A rather annoyed Anastasiades turned back and gave his supporters an exasperated look but stopped himself from saying anything. There was no stampede and he eventually composed himself to utter the few words that angered Christofias and Kyprianou.

PEOPLE flock to the winner which perhaps explained why Malas’ arrival at the polling station in Archangelos was rather low-key affair. Hardly anyone showed up to greet Malas as he arrived with his wife, his AKEL minder Nicos Katsourides and his communications advisor Costas Gouliamos.

There were a dozen other people standing behind him while he made the obligatory statement to reporters, but it was a pitiful turnout, especially compared to his rival’s. For the first time at election stations candidates made statements in English at the polling stations for the benefit of Turkish journalists and film crews that were covering the elections. 

NOBODY was mentioning exit polls yesterday after the previous Sunday’s fiasco, which had Anastasiades taking more than 50 per cent of the vote and his camp preparing victory celebrations before the polling stations had even closed.  

Yesterday, none of the pollsters dared release any information about the voting before the polling stations closed at 6pm, even though an Anastasiades victory was a dead certainty. All TV stations had their predictions ready a few minutes after 6pm and they were all pretty much the same, as they had been the previous Sunday.

The range they gave Anastasiades was between 57 and 62 per cent and Malas 37 to 43 per cent and they were all correct. Malas received the maximum he was predicted and Anastasiades the minimum and everyone was happy.

ARE THERE any plans by the Giorgos Lillikas camp to remove that massive poster of their candidate, stretched across the Gavrielides building on one of Nicosia’s busiest junctions? We would have expected it to have been removed last Monday but it is still there.

PRESIDENT-ELECT Nicos Anastasiades must navigate a minefield on taking office, juggling Cypriot and foreign interests against a backdrop of an urgently needed bailout.

The 66-year-old veteran politician, who cruised to victory in yesterday’s run-off vote, has often cited his good standing among EU leaders, particularly the European People’s Party.

But now that words must turn into action, his relations with foreign leaders will be put to the test, says economic analyst Stelios Platis.

The new president will have to deal with international creditors who have been making noises over alleged money-laundering and Cyprus’ low corporate tax rate.

But equally pressing are the tough negotiations ahead to determine the precise amount that local banks need to recapitalise, which will heavily impact the final bailout figure for the indebted island.

There is a risk that the bailout number will render the national debt unsustainable, leading lenders to shut the door to financial assistance.

Anastasiades will also have to deal with European paymaster Germany; Chancellor Angela Merkel faces her own elections in September, and is under pressure to ensure that German taxpayers do not foot the bill unless Cyprus can push through reforms and pay back the loan.

 “What Cyprus must do is show Europe that it is in their interests to support Cyprus in her troubles,” says Platis.

What Anastasiades has going for him, however, is his pragmatic approach. He won’t waste time on inconsequential discussions if he finds he cannot convince foreigners on this or that point, the analyst added.

Moreover, the new administration is far less likely to unsettle foreign leaders by sending out mixed signals, as happened during the Christofias administration, “when the president said one thing, and his finance minister another.”

Platis is nevertheless wary of Anastasiades’ recent revelation that he will seek a bridging loan from another country as a quick fix, allowing Cyprus to stay afloat until such time as signatures are put on an EU/IMF bailout agreement.

Any such loan should not be bilateral, but rather be sought from the troika and the EU, Platis said.

Some postulate that the mere election of a new government should end uncertainty over the island’s sliding economy and calm investors’ nerves.

But political commentator Louis Igoumenides is not all that convinced.

“The uncertainty will end only once the memorandum of understanding is signed,” he told the Mail.

Still, Igoumenides shares the view that Cyprus’ prospects look better with Anastasiades in charge rather than Malas, who inevitably would be associated with the outgoing AKEL government.

“It’s true, foreigners are more positively disposed toward Anastasiades. But it’s the nitty-gritty that counts.”

MICHALIS Sarris is tipped for the hot seat of finance minister in the new DISY-DIKO administration, and is Anastasiades’ top pick for the key portfolio, the Mail is reliably informed.

Sarris, credited with shoring up state finances as economy chief under the government of Tassos Papadopoulos, would face a mountain of a task in finalising negotiations for a bailout as soon as the new government takes office.

But Sarris is thought to have the credentials - as well as Anastasiades’ confidence - to handle the mission.

Informed sources say the choice of Sarris is being objected to by certain “conservative” quarters from within DISY - “the squares”, as the sources put it - because of an incident involving the 66-year-old last year in the occupied north.

It’s understood, however, that Anastasiades is seeking to rebuff these misgivings, telling doubters that they should be more open-minded.

In exchange for DIKO’s support, Anastasiades intends to give the centrist party three portfolios - two of them likely being education and defence.

Four to five ministries would go to DISY people, and the rest to non-affiliated personalities.

Christopher Pissarides, the 2010 Nobel Prize winner for Economic Sciences, is destined to head up the new Economic Policy Council. Comprising economists, the council will be a purely advisory body, with no executive powers, and directly answerable to the president.

In addition, Anastasiades intends to establish a Fiscal Policy Council to monitor the government balance sheet.

MEP Ioannis Kasoulides is strongly touted for foreign minister, although until such time as he is free from his EU obligations the position would be temporarily filled by DISY deputy Christos Stylianides.

This information came “straight from the horse’s mouth”, the same sources said.

Various names are being bandied about for the education ministry. The first is university professor Mary Koutselini, sister of Ouranios Ioannides, a former education minister.

Athena Kyriakidou, a DIKO MP, has also been proposed. Anastasiades is considering Tasos Mitsopoulos, currently his election campaign’s head spokesman, as an alternative in case the other two possibilities don’t pan out.

DISY MP Ionas Nicolaou And former DISY MP Christos Pourgourides are both said to be interested in the justice ministry.

There was no word yesterday on the other crucial portfolio, that of the commerce ministry, which among others is in charge of energy affairs and natural gas. The rumour is that Anastasiades will appoint a deputy minister dealing exclusively with matters of energy, leaving the other aspects of the ministry - commerce, tourism and industry - to the minister.

Anastasiades has stated he plans to create seven deputy ministries in total. It’s understood that, due to constitutional constraints, the deputy ministers will not sit on the Cabinet but they will answer directly to the head of state.

Anastasiades has pledged to resign as DISY leader if elected president. What of his no 2 Averof Neofytou? It’s believed Neofytou will be taking over as the acting chief of DISY, with a view to officially running for the leadership at the party’s next electoral congress.

Meanwhile the position of attorney-general is set to become vacant later this year upon the retirement of Petros Clerides. The likely successor is prominent lawyer Polys Polyviou - who headed an independent commission investigating the Mari disaster - or possibly lawyer Christos Triantafyllides, also affiliated to DISY.

For the post of deputy attorney-general - currently occupied by Akis Papasavvas, whose departure is not that far off - the name of Ricos Erotocritou, a European Party cadre, has come up. Lawyer Christos Clerides, also affiliated to the European Party, has also expressed a desire for the job.

Nicos Anastasiades’ 57.48 per cent victory last night gave him the highest score in a run-off election in the post-1974 era.

The final tally stood at 57.48 per cent for Anastasiades, compared to 42.52 per cent for Stavros Malas.

The elections for the seventh president of the Republic went to a run-off, after Anastasiades failed to secure the required 50 per cent plus one votes on February 17. On February 17 the conservative leader, endorsed by the DISY and DIKO parties, garnered 45.46 per cent, a huge lead over leftist Stavros Malas who received 26.91 per cent. Independent Giorgos Lillikas was eliminated after coming in a close third behind Malas with 24.93 per cent.

In 2008, the incumbent president Tassos Papadopoulos was eliminated from a run-off, garnering 31.79 per cent or 143,249 votes.  DISY’s Ioannis Kassoulides stood against AKEL’s Demetris Christofias, with a lead of 980 votes during a first round of elections. Christofias went on to beat Kassoulides, garnering the required majority by a few thousand votes. Some 53.37 per cent of those who showed up to vote, or 240,604 people, voted for Christofias compared with 46.63 per cent, 210,195, for Kassoulides. 

In 2003, Tassos Papadopoulos got the required majority from the first round, in an unexpected victory. Papadopoulos, who got 51.51 per cent majority share, beat the incumbent, twice president, Glafcos Clerides who got 38.80 per cent.

In 1998, AKEL-backed George Iacovou and the incumbent, DISY’s Glafcos Clerides, were neck to neck in the first round with Iacovou harnessing 40.61 per cent and Clerides getting 40.06 per cent of the share. EDEK founder Vassos Lyssarides lagged behind with 10.59 per cent. 

Clerides was re-elected with a 50.82 per cent majority. The difference in votes between Iacovou and Clerides came to 6,657. 

Clerides won the 1993 elections despite a strong lead by AKEL-backed George Vassiliou, who was running for re-election and was the first round’s clear winner with 44.15 per cent compared with Clerides’ 33.74 per cent. Clerides beat Vassiliou by a mere 2,176 votes and was elected president on a 50.31 per cent majority.

In the previous elections of 1988, the roles were reversed with Vassiliou beating Clerides in the run-off with a 51.63 per cent majority share. The incumbent, DIKO founder Spyros Kyprianou, was eliminated in the first round, garnering 27.29 per cent of registered votes compared with 30.11 per cent for Vassiliou and 33.32 per cent for Clerides.

Kyprianou took over as acting president in 1977, when the president, Archbishop Makarios III, died and was later unanimously elected to serve Makarios’ remaining term. Kyprianou was the only candidate in 1978, so was named president without a voting process, and then garnered 56.54 per cent majority in 1983, easily beating Clerides who got 33.93 per cent.  

Makarios headed Cyprus’ transition from British colony to a Republic in 1959 and went on to head the republic until his death on August 3, 1977.

THE HIGH abstention rate, counter-balanced by a high occurrence of invalid votes, were what shaped the result of yesterday’s presidential elections.

The final tally stood at 57.48 per cent for Anastasiades, compared to 42.52 per cent for Malas. In the first vote, the respective numbers had been 45.46 per cent and 26.91 per cent.

The gap between the two contenders was around 18 per cent, almost the same as recorded during the first round, when Nicos Anastasiades had secured 45.46 per cent to Stavros Malas’ 26.91 per cent.

The figures suggest that in yesterday’s run-off the electorate was divided along more or less the same lines, with each of the two candidates drawing their ‘allotted share’ from the supporters of independent Giorgos Lillikas, knocked out of the race the previous Sunday.

Despite boasting the highest second-round result in the post-1974 period, Anastasiades increased his numbers by only 12 per cent compared to the first Sunday, whereas Malas raised his by an impressive 15 per cent.

Malas’ numbers grew by 57,000 compared to the first round, compared to an extra 37,000 votes for Anastasiades.

Echoing other commentators, political analyst Christoforos Christoforou said the outcome was no surprise; the omens for the outgoing AKEL government did not bode well.

“I think this was the best Malas could achieve under the circumstances, given the deep economic crisis and the Mari incident,” he said.

Abstention works in favour of the candidate who was in the lead. But this was apparently offset by the high number of invalid votes.

By mathematically extrapolating the first-round result, the second-round tally should have been 60 to 40 per cent. Instead, Anastasiades managed just over 57 per cent.

The turnout yesterday stood at 81.58 per cent, slightly lower than the 83.14 per cent a week ago. There was, however, a marked presence of invalid ballots (blank and null), which accounted for 7.36 per cent of votes cast - a significant amount.

This suggests that a small portion of the electorate may have followed the advice of socialists EDEK and of Lillikas, who had instructed his voter pool not to choose any of the two remaining contenders.

This was perhaps best demonstrated in Paphos - a Lillikas stronghold - where invalid ballots accounted for a whopping 10 per cent.

The numbers suggest the invalid votes worked more against Anastasiades than Malas, said Christoforou.

Data gleaned from exit polls indicated that Anastasiades got an extra 5 to 6 percentage points from DIKO and EDEK supporters - those who voted for Lillikas in the first round - about 2 to 3 points from the European Party, another point from the Greens, and the rest from first-time voters.

About 53 per cent of new voters are estimated to have ticked Anastasiades’ name on the ballot.

Antenna’s exit poll suggested that some 60 per cent of people employed in the private-sector voted for Anastasiades, meaning a significant portion (40 per cent) chose Malas despite his being backed by the outgoing leftist government.

Malas in turn is estimated to have obtained an additional 5 to 6 percentage points from the so-called ‘Lillikas camp’, 4 to 5 points from EDEK, and the rest from DIKO and others.

Yesterday’s exit polls fared little better than they had last time round; despite a 4 to 5 percentage margin of error, most pollsters overshot the maximum score projected for Anastasiades.

CyBC’s exit poll broadcast at 6.05pm poll gave Anastasiades 57.5 to 61.5 per cent, Malas 38.5 to 42.5 per cent. And Antenna posted 58 to 62 per cent for Anastasiades, 38 to 42 per cent for Malas.

An early analysis of CyBC’s exit poll gave a speculative breakdown of the source of Anastasiades’ votes: 73 per cent from DISY, 13.3 per cent from DIKO, 4.2 per cent from AKEL, another 4.2 per cent from EDEK and 5.3 per cent from other political parties and movements.

Still, it seems the two election HQs knew sooner than the general public which way the wind was blowing.

Earlier in the day, the Mail was told that an internal rolling poll conducted by DISY throughout the week gave their man anywhere from 58 to 62 per cent. AKEL’s own number-crunching had come up with similar results.

THE MOOD may have been sombre at the Stavros Malas campaign headquarters last night but just a few streets away, the AKEL top brass were quietly tickled that the outgoing ruling party survived the global and national economic downturn relatively unscathed. 

Once the first exit polls showed Nicos Anastasiades as the clear winner, the atmosphere among volunteers and supporters at the Malas headquarters became rather bleak.

As the news trickled out that Anastasiades had cemented victory in the second round, one cigarette-smoking, whiskey-drinking supporter railed against TV networks for their biased reporting. 

Pointing to one DIKO representative on a TV panel discussion, the same disillusioned supporter asked: “Is this man fit to be a cabinet minister?” 

Another, monitoring the Interior Ministry website for a breakdown of Malas voters in each town and village, cursed Paphos for its failure to rally around their candidate. 

By 7pm, you could count the number of people in and around the Malas headquarters on a small abacus. The lingering silence was broken by the sound of blaring car horns from Makarios Avenue, screaming of Anastasiades’ victory through the office windows.  

Watching television footage of DIKO voters celebrating, one campaign official said: “Five years ago we were celebrating together. Now they’re celebrating again but this time on the other side.”  

Lido Yiasemaki, who fought against the junta in 1974, said she was deeply disappointed by Anastasiades’ election.

“We have experienced so much suffering in this country for which certain people are responsible, and now, we reward those people,” said Yiasemaki, who is also Malas’ aunt. 

The campaign team may have been disappointed but by all accounts, Malas, the political newcomer, did well. 

A geneticist before his brief stint as health minister under Demetris Christofias, Malas got 42.52 per cent of the vote counting for 175,267 votes. That’s 56,512 more than in the first round, with only AKEL endorsing his candidacy. 

A little after 7pm, Malas came out to make a statement flanked by his wife and four children on the one side, and top AKEL and government officials on the other, including Nicos Katsourides, Kikis Kazamias, Stefanos Stefanou, Sophoclis Aletraris and Efthymios Flourentzou.  

Malas congratulated Anastasiades for his victory and described the election result as “extremely honourable under the circumstances”, considering that only one party supported his candidacy.  

“We gave a good fight in harsh and unfair conditions, in a climate anything other than friendly,” he said. 

Asked what his next steps would be, he said: “Let’s leave that for a future discussion.”  

As for his plans for the rest of the night, he replied, somewhat exasperated, “I’m going to rest with my family”. 

A stone’s throw from the Malas campaign offices is the AKEL headquarters where Malas and his team made their way to pay their respects to AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou. A few dozen people waited outside.  

Speaking to reporters, Kyprianou said: “The election result makes AKEL a strong opposition.”

He noted that under “very difficult conditions”, including a global and Cypriot economic crisis, the Mari blast and unrelenting criticism against Christofias and the AKEL government, they achieved “a very positive” result. 

AKEL returns as opposition “with high numbers, powerful, upright with our heads held high and ready to play our part in order to serve the interests of Cyprus and the Cypriot people”.  

He hinted that AKEL’s relationship with Malas would continue though this would have to be discussed with the losing candidate at a later date.  

AKEL sources echoed Kyprianou’s statement that the result was really a victory. Given that defeat was considered a given; the question was by how much. 

Considering Greece’s socialist party PASOK imploded after ruling during the economic crisis, as did other European parties recently, AKEL feels that it came out relatively unscathed. 

A few months back, when Malas first announced his candidacy, the left-wing party would have been happy to get even a third of the vote.  

Now, with 43 per cent, the party leadership feels it fought off the negative legacy of the Christofias government while attracting votes from the political centre, though the divisive nature of Anastasiades’ candidacy may have also helped. 

It remains to be seen whether AKEL can keep the high numbers in opposition and how Christofias decides to act when he leaves the presidential palace. 

With defeat anticipated, however, the question does arise, why did Malas choose to go through this ordeal? Was he fulfilling a debt, carrying out a moral obligation or building for the future?

THOUSANDS of jubilant supporters yesterday celebrated the victory of DISY chief Nicos Anastasiades in the presidential elections’ run-off against AKEL-backed Stavros Malas.

Supporters of the 66-year-old leader gathered before the official results were announced outside both DISY and the campaign headquarters. 

“After five years of an AKEL government we needed a change, and it should have come last week,” Andreas, a 30-year-old car mechanic said outside Anastasiades’ campaign headquarters.

A 16-year-old who was there to celebrate although he was too young to vote  said that Anastasiades was “the best”. 

At DISY offices, supporters gathered with vuvuzelas, waving many Greek flags and a few Cypriot flags, this time confident in Anastasiades’ victory before all votes were counted.

Last Sunday, supporters were caught out as, encouraged by unreliable exit polls, they were tempted to celebrate prematurely.

But this time round, one sentiment prevailed: justified jubilation.

Families showed up to celebrate, children were given flags to wave and a few parents were snapping happy photos or having their little ones pose – all smiles - for the camera. 

When Anastasiades showed up, crowds moved in to take a look or shake a hand. A metre away or so, all that could be seen of the president-elect was his hand held up high, waving. 

“I ran to shake his hand but he was too fast for me, he escaped upstairs,” an excited supporter said. 

A 39-year-old accountant, who had also showed up last Sunday to mark her support, said she expected Anastasiades to win. She voted for Anastasiades “because he is the only one who under the present circumstances convinces (of his ability),” she said. 

Another man was almost incredulous when asked why he had voted for Anastasiades. 

“Why? Because we trust him. He is the most capable in getting Cyprus out of these dead ends,” said Charilaos Papanicolaou, a 64-year-old retired civil servant. “He can take on the Cyprus problem and the economy,” he said. 

When DISY number two, Averof Neophytou, gave statements later in the evening and congratulated Anastasiades for his victory, he had to shout over people who broke out in applause. “Our happiness today is great,” Neophytou said but urged people to display modesty in their celebrations. “The naked truth is that things are hard for our country,” Neophytou said.

There were more celebrations at DIKO headquarters where DIKO head Marios Garoyian congratulated DIKO’s supporters for a victory that was to a large extent theirs, he said referring to DIKO’s support of Anastasiades’ candidacy.

Anastasiades later showed up at DIKO headquarters, kissing and hugging Garoyian, both of them struggling to get through masses of supporters to reach the podium. 

Statements were made by both Garoyian and Anastasiades, who told people that he will be “Nicos” to the people, not “the President,” The DISY chief – already running behind schedule – then rushed to get back to his campaign offices. There, his car moved at a snail’s pace because of the crowd. Eventually, Anastasiades grabbed a megaphone and hanging out of his car thanked DISY and DIKO supporters. At 9.50pm, 50 minutes behind schedule, Anastasiades addressed foreign and local media at the Hilton Park hotel. His statement was sent ahead to the media in Turkish, English and Greek. 

“Today the people of Cyprus granted us the mandate to govern the country for the next five years. I accept this popular mandate and undertake the responsibility it entails,” Anastasiades said at the Hilton Park. Meanwhile, thousands were waiting at the Eleftheria stadium where Anastasiades was to be officially pronounced the victor. People started showing up at about 6pm, to secure space on a first come first served basis. Police said they would admit up to 7,000 of the public.

“I thank all those who honoured me with their vote, but assure all who chose differently that my respect in their choice is absolute,” the president-elect told the crowds.

An indication of his legendary temper surfaced however, when supporters jeered after Anastasiades expressed his appreciation of opponent Stavros Malas. "Show respect," he scolded them.

He chided them again when some booed at his mention of "our Turkish Cypriot compatriots" to whom he sent messages of friendship and peace. 

"Please," he said sternly. "I will not accept irresponsible behaviour leading this country to permanent partition."

PRESIDENT-ELECT Nicos Anastasiades has come a long way since the days of the 2004 referendum when he became a political pariah, attacked and abused by all the political parties and the government of the day because he had dared to take a clear stand in favour of the Annan plan. He could have taken the easy option, of going with the majority of the population and avoiding the high political cost of his decision. 

He did not, even though he faced dissent in his own party which led to defections and the establishment of a rival party. Instead, Anastasiades stuck to his guns, kept exercising opposition to a government that was supported by all other parties and strengthened his hold on DISY. Nobody would have believed back then that the day would come when Anastasiades would be elected president with a credible 57.48 per cent of the vote.

We suspect that yesterday he reaped the benefits of the courageous, though unpopular decision he took in 2004, to support what he believed to be right for the country, irrespective of the political cost and the views of the majority. Voters were aware that the precarious state Cyprus is in today required a strong and determined leader prepared to take very difficult decisions, and Anastasiades fit the bill.

And there will be a host of difficult and unpopular decisions Anastasiades will have to take as soon as the handover of power takes place on Thursday. Never before has a president assumed office with so many pending matters piled high on his in-tray. There is the re-capitalisation of the Cypriots banks, the finalising of the memorandum of understanding, its approval by the Euro Group and national parliaments as well as the ultra-negative publicity regarding money-laundering. And at home we have the worst recession Cyprus has ever experienced.

It will be of critical importance for Anastasiades to choose the right kind of ministers, because he will need good associates to negotiate his way through the obstacle course that lies ahead. He should avoid expedient appointments to satisfy his DIKO allies or maintain political balances within DISY. For the government to be successful - the country cannot afford it not to be - high-calibre people, with drive and energy, must be appointed ministers. If the parties do not have such people he should not hesitate to recruit outsiders.

The country has high expectations of Anastasiades and we hope he will live up to them. Nobody wants him to fail because if he does we will all sink with him. It is a lot of pressure for one man but Anastasiades has shown he has the mental toughness to cope with it.