Cyprus gears up for election
Polls are due to open tomorrow morning on Cyprus for the second and final round of the presidential election as tempers became frayed on the island yesterday when Communist Party leader Dimitris Christofias accused the camp of his rival Ioannis Kassoulides of sending disparaging e-mails and text messages about him. Christofias criticized Kassoulides for the messages, one of which showed Soviet soldiers accompanied by the line: «Will they represent us in Europe? Vote Kassoulides.» The Communist candidate, who has the backing of a powerful coalition, alleged that Kassoulides’s daughter Joanna was involved in sending the messages. Conservative Kassoulides denied that anybody in his camp had sent negative e-mails or text messages about Christofias. Christofias received yesterday the backing of the ministers for education, the interior and agriculture.
