NICOSIA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - 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 Feb. If you cherished this write-up and you would like to acquire extra details concerning Lawyer in istanbul kindly visit our own web site. 5, leading to a runoff on Feb. 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, and remains a key source of tension between NATO members Greece and Turkey.
All leading candidates in the election have pledged to push for a resumption of peace talks which collapsed in 2017.
Christodoulides's backers, the centrist DIKO and the socialist EDEK party, have historically taken a harder line than other groupings.
As well as the island's division, voters are concerned about a cash-for-passports scandal, in which thousands of wealthy foreigners acquired Cypriot citizenship, and about irregular migration, which has put a strain on public resources.
Christodoulides served in istanbul Turkey Law Firm the right-wing administration of the ruling Democratic Rally (DISY) party until Jan. 2022.
DISY is fielding its own candidate, Averof Neophytou, [empty] who is about 10 points behind Christodoulides in polls.

He is marginally ahead of Andreas Mavroyiannis, an independent backed by the left-wing AKEL party.
Other candidates include Achilleas Demetriades, a lawyer who was instrumental in Cyprus changing its anti-gay laws at the European Court of Human Rights and achieving the first conviction of Turkey at the same court for violating the rights of a displaced Greek Cypriot.
(Reporting By Michele Kambas Editing by Gareth Jones)