Boost for far right in Cypriot elections
In the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Cyprus, the conservative DISY and the left-wing AKEL remained the strongest parties, with 27 and 24 percent of the vote respectively. However, right-wing populists and two new political movements that entered parliament for the first time made significant gains. This will likely make it harder for the directly elected conservative president, Nikos Christodoulidis, to secure a majority for his proposals, notes the country's press.
More compromises required
Politis editor-in-chief Dionysis Dionysiou comments:
“As far as the government is concerned, the result can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, an anti-government wave strong enough to completely destabilise the political system did not emerge. On the other hand, the new parliament will be far more difficult to manage. The presence of a larger number of political actors, pressure from the resurgent right, the parliamentary representation of new parties and a general sense of social mistrust will make governing considerably more complex. The government will have to rely more on persuasion, coordination and political flexibility. Simple majorities can no longer be taken for granted.”
Democracy alive and kicking
The Cyprus Mail praises the high level of political engagement in the run-up to the election:
“Only 7.5 per cent of the 753 candidates standing will win a seat in the House, but the fact they have taken the trouble to stand – in most cases knowing their chance of election is zero – is a big positive for Cyprus politics. ... People want to participate in politics, as the record numbers of parties and candidates show, and everyone should be happy about this instead of spinning scare stories about the 'destabilisation' of politics by the election of populists (as if populists have never occupied a parliamentary seat in the past) and other such alarmist nonsense.”