Joseph Violaris wins Kyrenia mayoral race

Joseph Violaris was elected as Kyrenia’s mayor in exile on Sunday night, beating his opponent Odysseas Patsalides to win the mayoral seat.

Violaris will replace the retiring Rita Elissaiou Komodiki.

He has won a total of 65.9 per cent of the votes counted so far, with 95.5 per cent of votes having been counted.

Turnout in the election was 44.3 per cent, with 2,303 voters having registered.

When he announced his candidacy in April, he said it was a “symbol of the struggle for liberation from the occupying army and the settlers, and our return to our homes and our properties with all human rights guaranteed”.

He added that those rights should be guaranteed “just as they are guaranteed in the European Union, and just as every European citizen has the right to move and enjoy his own property throughout Europe.”

He went on to say that the Kyrenia municipality “is not a municipality which will deal with cleanliness, footpaths, and permits.

“It is a municipality which is purely concerned with shedding light on this issue so we can return to our beloved town.”