A new chapter has begun for Cyprus’s EDEK party after today’s leadership election saw Sofia Christodoulou Makri storm to victory — making history as the youngest woman ever to take the helm of a political party on the island.
Christodoulou Makri saw off rivals Kyriakos Mavronikolas and Giorgos Kouttoukis to be crowned the new party leader, according to unofficial results.
A total of 2,233 party members cast their votes in today’s poll, with the 27-year-old sweeping up 1,191 votes — a commanding 53.51 per cent — while Mavronikolas trailed with 778 votes and Kouttoukis picked up just 236.
Today’s contest brings the curtain down on a turbulent period of internal wrangling within EDEK, which was plunged into a leadership race following the resignation of former chief Nikos Anastasiou.
The party’s fresh-faced new leader now faces the daunting task of steering EDEK through a critical juncture — with rallying the party’s grassroots base and restoring its political clout topping her to-do list from day one.
