2023 Cypriot presidential election, Christodoulidis expressed his interest at a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 9 January. The next day, he resigned as Minister and was replaced by veteran politician Ioannis Kasoulides on 11 January 2022. In June 2022, he formally announced his candidacy as an independent candidate, despite being a member of the DISY. He was endorsed by DIKO and EDEK, respectively the island's third and fourth-largest parties. On 5 January 2023, following the filing of his candidacy, he was formally ejected from DISY by the party's governing body. A July 2022 opinion poll said he appeared to maintain a comfortable lead over the other candidates. He won the first round of the presidential election with 32.04% of votes, and was thereafter backed by incumbent President Anastasiades. After winning the second round with 51.92% of the vote, against the 48.08% of Andreas Mavroyiannis who was supported by the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL), Christodoulidis was declared pesident-elect. Christodoulides was inaugurated as president on 28 February 2023, succeeding Nicos Anastasiades. Christodoulides declared that his prime focus was finding a solution to the Cyprus problem. Personal life Christodoulidis is married to Philippa Karsera, a Greek Cypriot diplomat from Dora. They met in 1999, when newly appointed diplomatic attachés in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She served at the Cypriot High Commission in London, then at the Embassy in Athens and the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union in Brussels, before being promoted Deputy Director of the President's Diplomatic Office at the Presidential Palace, Nicosia. Styled Minister Plenipotentiary, from February 2022, she led the crisis management directorate in the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The couple have four children together. Publications Christodoulidis has contributed to many domestic and international academic journals, and is the author of two books: Plans for Solution of the Cyprus Problem 1948–1978 published in 2009, and Relations between Athens and Nicosia and the Cyprus Problem 1977–1988 published in 2013. References 1973 births Living people People from Paphos District Candidates for President of Cyprus Cypriot diplomats Cypriot politicians Cyprus Ministers of Foreign Affairs Greek Cypriot people New York University alumni Queens College, City University of New York alumni University of Cyprus alumni University of Malta alumni Presidents of Cyprus