Cyprus vote lifts ELAM to about 11% as DISY leads on 27.2%

With ballots counted from a crowded field of contenders, Cyprus’s latest parliamentary election delivered a clear warning to the political mainstream: the far right is no longer on the margins, and newer movements are steadily eating into the old duopoly. Voters were choosing 56 lawmakers on May 24, with 17 parties competing for the support of roughly 569,000 eligible voters, a level of fragmentation that underscored how unsettled the electorate has become. ^[1]

Early results put the conservative Democratic Rally (DISY) first on 27.2%, followed by the leftist AKEL on 23.8%, according to figures cited from the interior ministry. ^[2] But the most arresting shift was the surge of the far-right ELAM, described as an offshoot of Greece’s banned Golden Dawn party, which climbed to about 11% from 6.8% in 2021. ^[1]

That rise also reordered the chamber. The Guardian’s reporting said ELAM emerged as parliament’s third-biggest force, displacing Diko from a position it had held for decades, while a new party rooted in anti-corruption campaigning and propelled by social media figures won seats for the first time. ^[2] The combined picture suggested that, even with DISY and AKEL still leading, traditional parties are losing ground to challengers who frame politics around anger at elites and promises of rupture. ^[1]

The vote lands amid a longer-running period of economic and political strain that has repeatedly pulled Cyprus into wider eurozone debates. Eurozone finance ministers planned a special meeting on a Cyprus bailout on Aug. 1, 2022, and on March 23, 2023 Cyprus’s parliament voted down a bank deposit levy linked to a bailout plan, episodes that have fed mistrust in established governance. ^[1]

As Deutsche Welle noted, the election is widely seen as a key test of public sentiment before the 2028 presidential race, with one analyst describing the moment as “a profound transformation of its political scene.” ^[1]