Cyprus presidential election goes to runoff with ex-foreign minister in lead

Nikos Christodoulides emerges as frontrunner and will face Andreas Mavroyiannis in vote next Sunday

The race to become the eighth president of Cyprus will extend into a second week after the Mediterranean island’s former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides emerged as the frontrunner but failed to gain enough support to win outright.

The 49-year-old independent will face Andreas Mavroyiannis, a veteran career diplomat backed by the leftist Akel party, in a runoff on 12 February.