“A trend of decline in the traditional party system that began in 2011 appears to be halted,” said political scientist Dr Vasilis Protopapas, speaking on Politis 107.6 & 97.6, commenting on the result of the parliamentary elections. As he explained, AKEL, DISY and DIKO recorded a clear recovery both in votes and percentages, noting that “there is a distinct recovery” and that they are “the winners of the elections.” ELAM also fits into the same picture, as it was strengthened as well, with him pointing out that in Cyprus there is “a historically strong right that maintains its strength.”
“Polls correctly captured the dynamics”
Referring to the polls, he said there was no failure, stressing that “polls correctly captured the dynamics”, while reminding that “elections are decided on election day,” as a fluid electorate can shift at the last moment.
Why new parties lost momentum
He explained that the strengthening of major parties is linked to the loss of momentum among new formations, saying that it “works like communicating vessels.” ALMA, Direct Democracy and Volt, as he said, lost the momentum they had shown previously.
As key reasons, he cited major international issues, such as the war in the region, which favoured traditional parties, since “when there are major stakes, there is rallying around parties that project seriousness and security.” At the same time, he noted that the new parties failed to convince, making “strategic and communication mistakes” and showing political immaturity.
Reference to Fidias’ wedding
He made a separate reference to Direct Democracy and Fidias Panayiotou, noting that “the leader projected a contradictory image.” As he said, a large part of public discussion focused on personal aspects. “Much revolved around a wedding that projected what we call in the Cypriot dialect ‘apoma,’” something which, according to him, undermined the movement’s populist narrative.
At the same time, he highlighted the quality of candidate lists, stressing that “candidates are important in elections,” explaining that organised networks and contact with the electorate were lacking. Regarding Volt, he described as a “surprise” that it did not enter parliament, attributing the result to the fact that it “did not have structures” and operated mainly communicatively. The Santi case, he noted, “overshadowed the campaign” and caused concern among part of the electorate.
Criticism of the 3.6% threshold
Mr Protopapas also criticised the electoral threshold of 3.6%, which he described as “completely arbitrary”, stressing that “17% of valid votes remains outside parliament” and that this is not positive for democracy, noting that under simple proportional representation there would have been representation.
Regarding the new House, he said that it “shows a right or centre‑right dominance,” with DISY, DIKO and ELAM forming the majority.
“Right and centre‑right dominance” in the new House
On the possibility of electing a Speaker from the left, he said that “I do not see how it can arise," since “ELAM will not vote for Stefanos Stefanou,” noting that these alliances are linked to the presidential elections of 2028.
In conclusion, he assessed that the main winner is the Democratic Rally and its leader, who now “has a great opportunity to make choices without internal constraints”. He added that DIKO is also strengthened, with Nikolas Papadopoulos able to claim a more active role in the political scene.
