Candidacies are being submitted for local elections for the Famagusta district on Thursday, with the elections set to take place on June 9.
Incumbent Famagusta mayor Simos Ioannou submitted his candidacy, saying that “the occupied communities must live, they must exist, and therefore everyone must go and vote.”
He is supported by Akel.
Earlier, mayoral candidate Andreas Vrahimis was the first to submit his candidacy, saying he was “greatly emotional” to submit his candidacy, and thanked those who supported his effort.
He called on people specifically from Varosha to go to the polls and vote on June 9, and said “I firmly believe we must bring the issue of Famagusta back to the fore.”
“Our return to Famagusta will, and I am convinced of this, be the springboard for finding a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, and we must all come together in this difficult situation,” he said.
He is supported by Disy and Diko.
Not all the Famagusta district’s local candidates will serve in exile, however, with Michalis Tziovanis submitting his candidacy to be Paralimni mayor.
He said the new Paralimni municipality will include four areas “with different characteristics”, but said he will aim to “achieve improvements in the lives of its people, as it is planned and through the programme we have formulated.”
Loukas Polykarpou also submitted his candidacy, promising “growth, quality, prosperity, and perspective.”
Kostas Fitiris also submitted his candidacy to be Paralimni mayor, saying he hopes voters will “do their research, think freely, and vote freely.”
Meanwhile, Pieris Gypsiotis submitted his candidacy to be Lefkonoiko mayor in exile. He is supported by Disy, Akel, Dipa, and the Green Party.
