As the final stretch of the pre-election period approaches, parties and candidates are intensifying their efforts. With eight days left before the polls open and six days before the official close of the pre-election period, goals are becoming more specific, and focus is honing in on them.
Moreover, a significant portion of the electorate has already decided on the elections, while others are undecided or considering not voting. Given these circumstances, parties are mainly directing their attention towards three directions:
- Undecided Voters: If they come from an established camp or are considered dissatisfied with their current party, they are perceived as easy to sway.
- Non-Voters: Those who declare they won’t vote but have previously voted or have a history of voting. It’s easier to convince these voters compared to individuals who have abstained from voting for years or consciously avoided any electoral process for a long time.
- Dissatisfied Voters: Voters who express dissatisfaction and intend to vote for something other than their usual party. Managing this category is perhaps the most challenging, but any success in persuading them would mean a double gain from the pool of voters.
At this stage, party organizers are fully mobilized, launching a final offensive towards the electorate. Party leaders are even called upon, if necessary, to approach target voters and persuade them to cast their ballots. Especially for major parties, the challenge of consolidation is immense, aiming to retain their percentages and limit defections to other political formations or candidates. In the last leg of the pre-election period, efforts become even more targeted.
Communicative Endeavours
Aside from organizational aspects, parties are endeavouring on a communicative level to send messages that resonate with their partisan audience. Several parties have already held their final pre-election rallies. AKEL, DIKO, EDEK, and DIPA culminated their campaigns with rallying calls for people to turn up at the polls and vote for them, each focusing on their electoral stakes. The final pre-election rally of DISY is scheduled for the upcoming week.
During the weekend, party tours across Cyprus will continue, seeking personal contact and communication with the people. At this stage, it is expected that the tone of the pre-election campaign will escalate once again. In the effort of consolidation, there will be attempts to create a polarized scenario with intense party confrontations.
