The European Union has congratulated the former foreign minister of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides on his victory on Sunday in the second round of the presidential elections, thus becoming the country’s head of state.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has called on Christodoulides to work together to address the challenges facing the EU and the Mediterranean island, she said in a message on the social network Twitter.
«I just called Nikos Christodoulides to congratulate him after the presidential elections in Cyprus. We must work together to address the challenges ahead: peace and reunification, Russian invasion of Ukraine, migration, energy and competitiveness,» he said.
This was also echoed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who in another message on the aforementioned platform congratulated Christodoulides and said she was looking forward to working together.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, has shown his desire to continue working with Cyprus on important issues for the EU and for the Cypriots.
«Dear Nikos Christodoulides, congratulations on your election as President of Cyprus! We look forward to continuing to work together on important files for the EU and for the people of Cyprus, paving the way towards a solution of the Cyprus problem,» Borrell reiterated.
Christodoulides was elected president of the country in the second round of the presidential elections held on Sunday after winning 51.91 percent of the vote, according to official data after the completion of the count.
Exit polls had already clearly predicted victory for Christodoulides whose party, the conservative Democratic Rally (Disy), split its votes between the two candidates – 52 percent for Christodoulides and 43.5 percent for Mavroyiannis. Christodoulides has dissociated himself from the ruling Disy to participate in these elections.
The elections have registered a turnout of 72.2 percent, as announced by the chief electoral officer, Costas Constantinou, eight tenths more than in the first round of elections.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
