Renowned Cypriot politician Vassos Lyssarides dies
Vassos Lyssarides, an iconic figure in Cypriot politics since before the island’s independence, died on Monday, a few days short of his 101st birthday.
Lyssarides was a steadfast opponent of the “bizonal, bicommunal” arrangement arrived at in the so-called Zurich accords, which established the Republic of Cyprus in 1959.
In 1969 he founded the socialist EDEK party, which he led until 2001. A member of Parliament from 1960 to 2006, he was speaker from 1985-91.
Lyssarides was also the personal physician of Archbishop Makarios, Cyprus’ founding president.
His American wife, Barbara Cornwall, predeceased him in 2019.
