ARMENIAN CYPRIOT MARIOS GAROYIAN ELECTED LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ArmRadio.am
23.10.2006 16:56

An Armenian Cypriot – Marios Garoyian – was elected with a margin of
62.6% as the new leader of the ruling Democratic Party. Vice President
Nicos Kleanthous collected 37.4%.

Moments after the results were known around 8:00 pm on Sunday night,
Marios Garoyian was proclaimed President. He thanked voters for their
confidence in embracing his vision and in his short speech at the
Democratic Party headquarters in Nicosia, he called for unity and a
stronger party and stated.

"Today democracy has won and it is the beginning of a new era. We owe
a lot to the legacy of Spyros Kyprianou the founder of our party as
well as today’s president Tassos Papadopoulos. We will implement the
political line of the coalition and move forward united, through a
modernized Democratic Party."

Marios Garoyian is the first Armenian Cypriot that is being elected
leader of a political party in Cyprus. In May 2006 he was elected as
member of the Cyprus Parliament with top preferential votes in Nicosia.

Marios Garoyian was born in 1961. His involvement in party
politics began in Italy with Democratic Party’s youth movement
Anagennisi. After his studies in politics and return to Cyprus, he
was elected President of the Youth movement of NEDIK-Nicosia where
he served from 1986-1992. He later became a member of the Central
Executive of the Democratic Party in 1988.

Garoyian was a close aide of the late President Spyros Kyprianou and
served as The Director of his Office in the House of Parliament as
well as The Director of the Office of President Tassos Papadoulos. He
also served as Government Spokesperson.

He was elected to the Cyprus Parliament in May 2006.

Marios Garoyian has kept close ties with the Armenian community of
Cyprus and its leadership, addressing many problems connected with
community life.