Fourteen candidates join race for Cyprus presidency in February vote

Fourteen candidates formally joined the race on Thursday to become Cyprus's next president in an election next month dominated by the island's decades-old division, irregular migration and corruption scandals.

Cyprus has a presidential system of government and the head of state has wide executive powers.

Opinion polls show Nikos Christodoulides, a former foreign minister, firmly in the lead. Barring a major upset, he will fall short of the 50% threshold in the first round on February 5, leading to a runoff on February 12.

"My candidacy seeks to unite the Cypriot people and not divide it," Christodoulides, 49, told reporters after his nomination, pledging to form a broad-based administration if elected.

Cyprus, with 561,000 registered voters, is a small island with a big problem; it was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek inspired coup...