2026 Cypriot legislative election

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56 of the 80 seats in theHouse of Representatives 29 seats needed for a majority
Leader Annita Demetriou Stefanos Stefanou Nikolas Papadopoulos Party DISY AKEL DIKO Last election 17 seats, 27.8% 15 seats, 22.3% 9 seats, 11.3% Current seats 17 15 9   Leader Christos Christou Nikos Anastasiou Marios Garoyian Party ELAM EDEK DIPA Last election 4 seats, 6.8% 4 seats, 6.7% 4 seats, 6.1% Current seats 3 3 4   Leader George Perdikes Alexandra Attalides Party KOSP Volt Cyprus Last election 3 seats, 4.4% New Current seats 2 1
IncumbentPresident of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou DISY

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Thenext Cypriot legislative elections are expected to be held in May 2026,^[1] to elect 56 of the 80 members of theHouse of Representatives. The elections could be held earlier if parliament is dissolved before it reaches the end of its five-year term.

The 80 members of the House of Representatives are elected from six multi-member constituencies which corresponds to the sixdistricts of Cyprus, with the number of seats allocated according to the population of each area.^[2][3] Of the 80, 56 are elected byGreek Cypriots and 24 byTurkish Cypriots.^[4] However, since 1963 the Turkish Cypriot seats have been unfilled,^[5] and the House of Representatives hasde facto had 56 seats since its enlargement in the 1980s.^[6]

The elections are held usingopen listproportional representation; voters vote for a party and can then cast one preferential vote for a candidate on their party's list for every four seats available in their constituency (party leaders or other candidates heading coalitions are not required to receive preferential votes to be elected). Seats are allocated using theHare quota, with any remaining seats allocated to lists that won at least one seat or parties that received at least 3.6% of the vote.^[2] The seat allocations for the 2021 election were as follows:

The centre-rightDemocratic Rally (DISY) is currently the largest political party inCyprus, holding 17 of the 56 seats in theHouse of Representatives.^[7] Following its defeat in the2023 presidential election^[8] and internal divisions resulting from theindependent candidacy of former DISY memberNikos Christodoulides,^[9] the party’s stance as theofficial opposition has been perceived as ambiguous. Several of Christodoulides' ministers are active DISY members,^[10] and on occasions, such as the 2024 National Budget, DISY made fewer amendments to thePresident's proposal compared to the governing parties.^[11] This perceived lack of opposition has contributed to public dissatisfaction with DISY’s role in countering theChristodoulides administration, which has faced increasing unpopularity.^[12][13]

During the candidate selection process for the2024 European Parliament Election, DISY’s internal elections resulted in one of the then-vice presidents,Marios Pelekanos, finishing second to last, excluding him from the six-candidate ballot.^[14] Dissatisfied with the outcome, Pelekanos resigned from his leadership position, citing a series of incidents that, according to him, undermined his standing within the party.^[15][16] On March 22, 2024, it was announced, following multi-day discussions with theNational Popular Front (ELAM), that Pelekanos would be running in the European elections under ELAM's banner. This decision was condemned by DISY leaderAnnita Demetriou, who emphasised the ideological differences between the two parties. DISY subsequently removed Pelekanos from its membership registry.^[17][18] Pelekanos, who had also served as the government spokesperson during the DISY-backedAnastasiades' administration (2021–2023), ultimately becameELAM's Press Representative.^[19] Despite DISY securing a first-place finish in the European elections, their 24.8% share of the vote marked the worst performance in the party’s history.^[20]

DISY continued to face internal challenges after theEuropean elections, notably betweenAverof Neofytou, the party's former leader and its presidential candidate in2023, andNicos Anastasiades, former party leader andPresident of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. In a podcast on July 8, 2024, Anastasiades criticised Neofytou’s2023 presidential campaign, suggesting that it had failed to resonate with DISY supporters, contributing to the party's defeat. He also questioned Neofytou’s alignment withAKEL-backed candidateAndreas Mavroyiannis during the second round of the election, to which Neofytou failed to qualify.^[21][22][23] Anastasiades' remark that he did not want to "bother with bitter people," directed at Neofytou, prompted a response from Neofytou on social media, stating that the "bitter" ones were the thousands who had once trusted Anastasiades, along with broader criticisms of Anastasiades' handling of theCyprus problem.^[24][25]

Neofytou also clashed with current DISY leaderAnnita Demetriou over the party’s support for theGreat Sea Interconnector,^[26] a plannedHVDC interconnector between theGreek,Cypriot, andIsraelipower grids.^[27][28] The project, primarily developed during the DISY-backedAnastasiades’ presidency, has strong backing from DISY. However, Neofytou expressed strong disagreement about advancing energy projects before resolving theCyprus problem and questioned whether the interconnection will actually reduce energy bills inCyprus. This stance put him at odds with Demetriou, who strongly supports the project.^[26][29][30] In September 2024, when asked about Neofytou's potential candidacy for the2028 presidential election—following his own expressed interest—Annita Demetriou responded that Neofytou had already been tested in2023, and in light of the public's verdict, DISY should now move forward for the benefit of the country.^[31][32]

ProminentMPsAverof Neofytou,Efthymios Diplaros, andHarris Georgiades have announced that they will not seek re-election in the upcoming legislative election, in adherence to the party statute's 3-term-limit.^[33][34][35] However, they intend to remain politically active.^[33][36][35]

TheProgressive Party of Working People (AKEL), the second-largest party inCyprus with 15 of the 56 seats in theHouse of Representatives,^[7] experienced its worst-ever performance in the2024 European Parliament Election, garnering only 21.5% of the vote and losing one of its two seats for the first time in its history.^[37][38][39] Despite AKEL’s strong showing in the2023 presidential election, with candidateAndreas Mavroyiannis surpassing polling expectations,^[40][8] internal tensions have emerged since then.^[41]

Irene Charalambidou, a prominentAKELMember of Parliament, has increasingly distanced herself from the party’s positions, frequently voting independently in theHouse of Representatives.^[42][43] The rift between Charalambidou and AKEL deepened during the controversy over the dismissal ofOdysseas Michaelides, the formerAuditor General ofCyprus. Charalambidou is a longstanding supporter of Michaelides due to his efforts against perceivedcorruption during theAnastasiades administration. TheMP is ineligible to run for AKEL in the 2026 legislative elections due to term limits, and there are widespread rumours that she may join a new parliamentary movement led by Michaelides, who has garnered popularity for hisanti-corruption stance.^[43][44][45] An opinion poll conducted by RetailZoom from October 14 to 16, 2024, indicated that a hypothetical new party led by Odysseas Michaelides would secure second place in the next legislative election, receiving 21% of the vote.^[46]

AKEL rebranded itself as "AKEL - Social Alliance" for the2024 European Parliament Election, following a merger with several smaller left-leaning parties.^[47] The party intends to keep this structure for the next legislative election, with its parliamentary candidates ranging from the political center to the traditional left.^[48]

Thefar-right partyELAM is expected to strengthen its presence in theHouse of Representatives, with opinion polls projecting a third-place finish, surpassing for the first time the centristDemocratic Party.^[49] Once considered a fringe movement, over the last few years ELAM has gained increasing support from mainstreamright-wing voters. Notably, formerDISY vice-presidentMarios Pelekanos was appointed as ELAM's Press Representative, signaling broader appeal beyond its traditional base.^[19]

In January 2025,independentMPAndreas Themistokleous, who was previously elected with ELAM but later expelled for "inappropriate behavior,"^[50] announced the formation of a new political party named theDemocratic National Movement. The new party espouses a platform emphasizing religious conservatism, nationalism, and strong opposition to progressive social policies ("anti-woke"). It is anticipated to attract support from traditional ELAM voters, potentially impacting ELAM's projected growth.^[51] As of September 2025, this has not happened.

ALMA (an acronym for Dignity, Accountability, Reform, and Development) is a new political movement founded in May 2025 by former Auditor GeneralOdysseas Michaelides.^[52] Positioned within the reformistcenter andopposition space, ALMA was established with the aim of achieving systemic restructuring and political transparency in Cyprus. The party has announced its intention to contest the 2026 legislative elections as its first electoral test, with Michaelides aiming for a strong parliamentary presence as a step toward a potential presidential bid in2028. ALMA advocates for a federal solution to theCyprus problem in line with UN resolutions and EU principles, and has drawn speculation about future alliances, particularly with MPIrene Charalambidou, a known supporter of Michaelides who has distanced herself from her current partyAKEL.^[53][54]

• Future elections in Europe
• 2020s in Cypriot politics
• Legislative elections in Cyprus
• Opinion polling for future elections

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