Cyprus goes Communist

Well, the results are in and it seems that the Communist candidate, Demetris Christofias, is the new president.

Although the final result was close run there had been speculation this would happen. This morning the Guardian ran a piece entitled “Cyprus gets ready for a communist ‘takeover’“.

Here as the result becomes widely known the noise level is increasing; fireworks are being set off, car horns are blaring and it seems all the under 25 males in the village have taken to their motorbikes and scooters and are circling the village. Whether this is in celebration or commiseration isn’t clear!

So, will this change the island? Some of the headlines in previous days have sounded nervous at the idea of of the island becoming the first EU country to be led by a Communist president. However, some senior government figures have suggested that they will be happy to continue serving, which ever candidate won.

Another Cyprus blogger, Sue of This is Cyprus, summed the situation up rather well saying …

“Will life change if Cyprus gains either a Communist or a right-wing President? I doubt it. Most people here seem to be keen on Communism as a principle, capitalism as a practice, and Greek Orthodoxy as a tradition. Oddly enough, these three rather different ideologies seem to live reasonably comfortably alongside each other. But then, this IS Cyprus!”

Of course, only time will tell!

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