A majority of votes cast on Sunday by eligible voters in the election process to pick a trio of Church of Cyprus hierarchs, who will then stand for the vacant Archbishop’s throne, went to the Metropolitan of Limassol, His Grace Athanasios, who reached 35.68 percent.
The Metropolitan of Paphos, His Grace Georgios, was second with 18.39 percent, and the Metropolitan of Tamassos, His Grace Isaiah, came in third, with 18.1 percent of the vote.
Following the first phase of the election process, a three-day objection period will follow, and the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus will then have a five-day period to review any objections.
Afterwards, within three days, members of the Holy Synod will convene to select the next Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, a decision expected to come by the end of December.
Turnout among eligible voters reached only a modest 30.2 percent.
The new Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus will replace Chrysostomos II, who reposed in the Lord early last month after a long bout with cancer.