In the wake of the EU parliamentary elections on Sunday, traditional political parties across Europe found themselves licking their wounds. Cyprus mirrored this trend, with far-right nationalists Elam securing a seat in Strasbourg, marking a significant shift in the island nation’s political landscape.
Political Shifts and Surprises
Cyprus allocated one of its six seats to Elam party spokesman Geadis Geadi, while another went to independent Cypriot YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou, who garnered an impressive 19.4 percent of the vote, translating to 71,330 votes. Panayiotou’s victory was seen as a purely personal phenomenon, devoid of any party affiliation, and was celebrated as an innovative and unprecedented development in Cypriot politics.
Elam experienced the largest increase in votes among all parties, with an additional 18,048 votes compared to 2019, boosting its share by 2.95 percent (from 8.25 percent to 11.2 percent). This surge contrasts sharply with the 2019 EU parliamentary results, despite a higher voter turnout this year (58.86 percent compared to 44.99 percent in 2019).
The two major parties in Cyprus, right-wing Disy and left-wing Akel, both suffered significant losses. Disy, despite receiving 9,777 more votes than in 2019, saw a percentage drop of 4.22 percent (from 29.02 percent to 24.8 percent) but managed to retain its two seats. Akel faced a more substantial decline, with a percentage drop of 5.99 percent (from 27.49 percent to 21.5 percent), resulting in the loss of one of its two seats and marking the first time since 2004 that one of the major parties will be represented by only one MEP.
Centre Parties and New Entrants
Centre political parties also faced heavy losses. Edek lost over half of its previous vote share and the seat it had held since 2009, while centre-right Diko retained its single seat despite a significant drop in votes. Depa and the Greens also recorded notable losses.
The Volt party, participating for the first time, secured 10,777 votes, translating to 2.9 percent of the total vote.
Elam’s success is particularly noteworthy as it is the only party that managed to increase both its vote count and percentage share compared to 2019. However, Panayiotou’s win appears to have negatively impacted Elam’s momentum in the final weeks before the election.
Fragmentation and Polarisation
Hubert Faustmann, a professor of history and political science at the University of Nicosia, highlighted the further political fragmentation and polarisation between the left and right as key takeaways from Sunday’s elections. He noted that Panayiotou’s election as an independent candidate without party backing is unprecedented in Cyprus.
The growing trend of disaffected voters, who previously opted for abstention or cast ‘protest votes’ for Elam, found a new outlet in Panayiotou this time around. Faustmann described Panayiotou as a symptom of widespread discontent with established parties and their uninspiring candidates.
European Parliament elections offer voters an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the political system more freely than in presidential or legislative elections. According to Faustmann, at least 30 percent of the electorate is tired of established parties that fail to present inspiring politicians.
