Nicolas Papadopoulos elected as leader of DIKO on Cyprus
The son of late Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, Nicolas Papadopoulos, has been elected leader of the island’s Democratic Party (DIKO).
Papadopoulos beat the incumbent, Marios Garoyian, in a close vote on Sunday after an often bitter race between the two.
Papadopoulos gathered 51.12 percent of party members’ votes, against 48.88 percent for Garoyian. The results were made early Monday after two objections from Garoyian were rejected.
Garoyian had led the party since October 2006, when Tassos Papadopoulos stepped down. Nicolas Papadopoulos was elected as an MP the same year. Tassos Papadopoulos died in December 2008.
The new DIKO leader had been critical of Garoyian’s decision to support the presidency of Nicos Anastasiades in March but has not indicated any immediate intention to withdraw his party from the Cypriot government.
