CYPRUS: A COMMUNIST COMES TO POWER THROUGH ELECTION OUTSIDE INDIA
Daya Varma
Demetris Christofias becomes the first communist leader to come to power through elections outside of India. Christofias promised to work for the unification of Cyprus, currently divided into Greek and Turkish enclaves and maintain a market economy.
Demetris Christofias, the leader of the Communist Party, defeated Ioannis Kasoulides, a former foreign minister, in the second and final round of presidential polls in Cyprus on February 18, 2008. Christofias polled 53.36 per cent of the vote against Kasoulides’ 46.64 per cent.
Christofias is the first communist leader to wrest power through elections outside of India. He is seen as a visionary on the issue of the unification of Cyprus divided which has been divided into Greek and Turkish parts for many years. Christofias said he would retain a market economy for the country. Since Cyprus is not in India, those who consider themselves to be to the left of the mainstream left parties in India may be more conciliatory to Christofias’s political and economic approach.