NICOSIA, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Fourteen candidates formally joined the race on Thursday to become Cyprus’s next president in an election next month dominated by the island’s decades-old division, irregular migration and corruption scandals.<\/p>\n

Cyprus has a presidential system of government and the head of state has wide executive powers.<\/p>\n

Opinion polls show Nikos Christodoulides, a former foreign minister, firmly in the lead.When you beloved this post along with you wish to obtain guidance relating to Lawyer Turkey<\/a> i implore you to check out our own web-page. Barring a major upset, he will fall short of the 50% threshold in the first round on Feb. 5, leading to a runoff on Feb. 12.<\/p>\n

“My candidacy seeks to unite the Cypriot people and not divide it,” Christodoulides, Lawyer Turkey<\/a> 49, told reporters after his nomination, pledging to form a broad-based administration if elected.<\/p>\n

Cyprus, with 561,000 registered voters, is a small island with a big problem; it was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek inspired coup, and remains a key source of tension between NATO members Greece and Turkey.<\/p>\n

All leading candidates in the election have pledged to push for a resumption of peace talks which collapsed in 2017.<\/p>\n

Christodoulides’s backers, the centrist DIKO and the socialist EDEK party, Lawyer Turkey<\/a> have historically taken a harder line than other groupings.<\/p>\n

As well as the island’s division, Lawyer Turkey<\/a> voters are concerned about a cash-for-passports scandal, in which thousands of wealthy foreigners acquired Cypriot citizenship, and about irregular migration, which has put a strain on public resources.<\/p>\n

Christodoulides served in the right-wing administration of the ruling Democratic Rally (DISY) party until Jan. 2022.<\/p>\n

DISY is fielding its own candidate, Averof Neophytou, Lawyer Turkey<\/a> who is about 10 points behind Christodoulides in polls.He is marginally ahead of Andreas Mavroyiannis, an independent backed by the left-wing AKEL party.<\/p>\n

Other candidates include Achilleas Demetriades, a Lawyer Turkey<\/a> who was instrumental in Cyprus changing its anti-gay laws at the European Court of Human Rights and achieving the first conviction of Turkey at the same court for violating the rights of a displaced Greek Cypriot.(Reporting By Michele Kambas Editing by Gareth Jones)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n