85 candidates for 33 mayoral seats in Cyprus

A total of 85 candidacies were submitted for the elections in 33 municipalities on December 17, of whom six were elected Friday unopposed in Polemidia and the refugee towns of Morphou, Kithrea, Lysi, Lefkoniko and Karavas.
The candidacies for mayors, municipal councillors and village councils were submitted at the local District Administrations Offices of each district.
Nine of the municipalities are in the Turkish-occupied territories so they will elect refugee mayors and councillors from the 180,000 citizens who will vote twice, from the total of  550,000 voters.

The two hottest seats being contested are that of the capital Nicosia, with three independent candidates and one party-sponsored, while two candidates from the rival political groups will challenge the Limassol mayor’s office.

Incumbent Michalakis Zampelas is running as an independent in Nicosia and is being challenged by his own Cultural Officer, Anna Marangou, and Technical Chamber former president Nicos Mesarites. The three-party coalition candidate is AKEL’s Nicosia MP Eleni Mavrou who has already stirred a controversy over her support of the Annan Plan in 2004, forcing many of the coalition partner DIKO to withdraw their support.

The same two-year-old bitterness resurfaced in Limassol where AKEL’s former Interior Minister, Andreas Christou, had also come in support of the UN plan and has been chastised by DIKO supporters. His only rival candidate is DISY’s MP and House Health Committee president Eleni Theocharous, who has garnered support because of her opposition to the Anna plan, and was also endorsed by Archbishop candidate Bishop Athanassios of Limassol.

In Larnaca incumbent mayor Andreas Moiseos, backed by the ruling coalition submitted his bid as well as independent candidate Nicos Themistokleous backed by DISY.
Paphos town hall is being claimed by four candidates: Deputy Mayor Savvas Vergas backed by the ruling coalition, independent Panicos Papageorgiou backed by DISY, Andreas Constantinides and Andreas Efstratiou.
There are two challengers for the refugee Municipality of Famagusta, that is in the news over the prospects that part of the town would return to its Greek Cypriot owners as part of a give-and-take plan proposed by the EU Finnish presidency in exchange for Turkey getting the green light for accession talks.

The two candidates are incumbent Giannakis Skordis backed by the ruling coalition and independent Alexis Galanos, former House President and DIKO deputy leader, endorsed by the opposition DISY.
Four candidates will also run for the occupied municipality of Kyrenia — Maria Ioannou backed by the ruling coalition, Petos Vrachas backed by DISY, incumbent Constantinos Orologas and Evanthia Papasavva.