Nikos Christodoulides is a Cypriot politician, diplomat, and academic who has served as the 8th President of Cyprus since 2023. He previously served as Government Spokesman from 2014 to 2018 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022, both under his predecessor Nicos Anastasiades. A former member of the Democratic Rally, he has been an independent since the party ejected him for entering the 2023 presidential race against their chosen candidate.