The big bet in the elections for the election of the new mayor of Famagusta, who will fill the gap left by the unexpected death of Alexis Galanos, is how many people from Famagusta will go to the polls to exercise their right to vote. And what message will they want to send inside and outside Cyprus?
The ballot boxes are set up under very special conditions. Ankara and the occupying regime are blackmailing the occupied city once again, threatening to open and colonize the enclosed city, and are waging a war to challenge the legal owners of the property by involving EVKAF and talking about a change. owls from the time of the Ottoman Empire. Electoral contest is being held for the first time in August, which is a holiday month. Five candidates are running for mayor. The four come down with the umbrella of the independent: Simos Ioannou, Nikos Karoulas, Andreas Lordos and Georgios Stavris. Linos Papagiannis is coming down as a party member, hence he will be first on the ballot. The others will follow in alphabetical order.
In the previous election, under normal circumstances - in which a mayor and a city council were elected - he exercised his right to vote by less than 50%. Specifically, out of 31.439 voters, 12.569 exercised their right to vote - 39,84%. The abstention set a record of 60,02% and 18.870 in real votes. Alexis Galanos was elected mayor with 41,73% of the vote and 4.941 votes. Simos Ioannou was behind him with minus 23 votes. It collected 4.918 votes or 41,54%. In third place was Andreas Lordos with a percentage of 13,71%. Gathered 1.623 votes. George Stavris received 357 votes or 3,02%.
The final results of the elections are expected at 8 pm. The announcement of the new mayor of Famagusta will take place on Monday, August 26, at the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Famagusta in Deryneia.
The candidates are:
SIMOS IOANNOU:
He was born in the parish of Agios Loukas in Famagusta in 1955. He lived his childhood and student years in Famagusta. The coup and the Turkish invasion of 1974 found him serving his military service. He studied at Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest. He worked at the National Hospital of Health and Sports of Budapest, taking the specialty of Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. Since 1988 he has been working as a private doctor. He participated in the public from his student years in Hungary as president of the Student Union, until his participation in the sporting events of Famagusta through various posts, among which that of the president of Nea Salamina Famagusta. From 1989 to 2016 he served uninterruptedly as a municipal councilor in the Municipality of Famagusta, with participation in various committees of the municipality. From 2011 to 2016 he was deputy mayor of the Municipality of Famagusta. Throughout his career, he collaborated with the spirit of unity in the Municipal Council and with all the mayors, with the sole purpose of returning to their favorite city. He is married to dentist Sofia Socratous and has two children, Patroclus, a civil engineer, and Myro, a food technologist. They live in Limassol. AKEL, DIKO, the Citizens' Alliance and the Democratic Party support his candidacy. It comes down to being independent.
NIKOS KAROULAS:
He was born in 1959 in Famagusta. He is the son of pharmacist Andreas Karoulas and Bella Nikolaidis. He has been in Larnaca since 1974. He studied chemistry at the University of Lyon in France. He was a basketball player in Anorthosis Famagusta and a volleyball player in Marathon. He is the director of a pharmaceutical company and has always been active in the city's public. Since 2006 he has been elected municipal councilor of Famagusta. He is the chairman of the Culture Committee of the municipality. He is married to Annita Pierre Carula and together they have three children. His candidacy is supported by the Democratic Alarm. It comes down to being independent.
ANDREAS LORDOS:
He was born in Famagusta in 1968, originally from Avgorou and Agios Sergios. He is a graduate of the English School of Nicosia. He served as a Special Forces officer in the 33MK. A graduate of the Berkeley School of Environmental Architecture in California with honors. Distinction "Departmental Citation" by the Chancellor of the University. He is an architect, builder and land development entrepreneur. In 2009 he graduated from the School of Business Administration of the University of Cyprus, with a degree in Business Administration. Since 2011 he has taken part in many bi-communal activities and gatherings as a speaker and as a volunteer. In 2013 he was co-founder and member of the board. of the Cyprus Hydrocarbon Association. In 2016, he ran for mayor of Famagusta in the municipal elections and secured 13,7% of the vote. He is married to Zoe, of the genus Antoniadou, from Limassol, and has four children. He was a founding member of the Unite Cyprus Now team. He is running as an independent candidate.
LINOS PAPAGIANNIS:
He was born in Paralimni on June 27, 1988, Famagusta. He speaks beyond Greek and English. He studied Business Administration and Accounting at the Metropolitan University of Manchester. He is the director of a private company. Since 2010 he has been the provincial secretary of ELAM Famagusta and since 2011 he has been a member of the Political Office of ELAM. In the 2016 parliamentary elections, he was elected for the first time as a member of parliament in the constituency of Famagusta with ELAM. As a Member of Parliament, he is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Labor, Welfare and Social Security, the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs, the Parliamentary Committee on Monitoring the Development and Control of Public Expenditures and the Ad Hoc Coordinating Committee of the Parliamentary Committee. He is running as a candidate for ELAM.
GEORGE K. STAVRI:
He comes from the parish of the Holy Zone of Famagusta, son of Cleanthes and Dana Stavri. He is a graduate of the Neokleous High School of Economics in Nicosia and served his military service as a reserve infantry officer after training at SEAP. He studied at Stanford University in the United States and graduated with three degrees in Economics, Political Science and a Master's degree in International Political Science. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Energy and Economics at two universities as well as International Law. Since 1988 he has been teaching the subject of International Politics and Economics at European universities. Since 2016, he has been the director of the "Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Geopolitics" in Cyprus and the corresponding branch in Serbia for the Balkans "Balkan Institute of Geopolitics-BIG". He is running as an independent candidate.
Voter information service
The Ephorate of Electoral Elections of the Mayor of Famagusta announced that a special service is operating to provide information to the public. Famagusta residents can contact the following ways:
- SMS via mobile number 1199, entering: wtv blank ID number blank date of birth
e.x. wtv 999000 01/06/2000
- Telephone information service:
Pancyprian number: 77772212
Nicosia: 22804222
Limassol: 25806443
Famagusta: 24801002
Larnaca: 24801880
44 polling stations for 31.584 Famagusta residents
In Sunday's elections, 31,584 people from Famagusta across Cyprus have the right to vote, while ballot boxes will be opened in a total of 44 polling stations in all the cities of free Cyprus. Specifically, 4 polling stations will be opened in the free province of Famagusta, 7 in Nicosia, 13 in Larnaca, 19 in Limassol and one in Paphos.
The elections will be held from 7 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon with an hour interruption from 12 to one at noon ".
Source: Liberal