Cyprus

Populism Rank: 9

Summary

Voter support for radical left in last elections (2021):

– 3.4 %.

Voter support for radical right in last elections: + 0.2 %.

Populist or radical parties in government (2024): none

Number of radical or populist MEP:s (2024): 2/6.

01 Speakers

Cyprus is the only country in the EU with a presidential system, where the president serves as both the head of state and the head of government. The political parties still play a significant role, however, with the party system including both a large communist party and a growing nationalist far-right party.

The Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) is one of Europe’s most successful communist parties. AKEL traces its origins back to the Communist Party of Cyprus, founded in 1928 during British colonial rule. Despite being illegal at the time, the communist party was accused by nationalist organizations in Cyprus of collaborating with the colonial authorities. Since independence, AKEL has consistently been one of the top two parties in every election except in 1985 when it finished third.

In 2008, Demetris Christofias, who had been party secretary of AKEL for two decades and once described the fall of the Soviet empire as “a crime against humanity”, became the first ever communist head of state in an EU country when he won the presidential election. Christofias claimed that although a proud communist, he would leave the free market alone. He won the election mostly on his promise to start negotiations with Turkish-cypriotic leaders and try to unify the divided island. Although his government did make some progress, the unification process was soon overshadowed by the emerging financial crisis. Christofias tried to handle the crisis by raising taxes and seeking loans from Russia, rather than implementing the austerity policy that the EU requested in exchange for an aid package. He did not seek reelection in 2013 and AKEL has lost support in every election since then. In the spring of 2021, AKEL saw its worst result ever in a national election with only 22 percent of the vote. In the EP elections in 2024, the party performed even worse, gaining only 21.5 percent. However, it is still the second largest party in parliament and thus the leading opposition party.

If there ever was one, AKEL is a pragmatic communist party. It supported Cyprus EU membership in 2004 but was against introducing the euro in 2008. The party supports a federal solution for the division of Cyprus and praises the economic system of Cuba. The party claims on their website that AKEL at this stage “does not seek to implement its long-term programme for a radical transformation of society”, but also that “this of course does not mean that we desert our socialist vision and orientation”. The text continues:

“AKEL is strongly convinced that despite the blow inflicted on the labour and communist movement internationally, the Marxist-Leninist theory, the way it should be developed and renewed with the continual progress of knowledge and economic, social and political development, remains a firm ideological base of the struggle for a better world, a world of peace, democracy, social justice and socialism.”

So even though the communist ideology does not seem to guide the party in daily politics, AKEL nevertheless legitimises anti-democratic ideas and opinions. In the European Parliament, AKEL is a member of the GUE-NGL group. Stefanos Stefanou is general secretary of the party since 2021.

Demetris Christofias.

On the right, the turnover of small national conservative parties has been high. These usually combine a hard line towards the Turkish side of the island with relatively pro-European agendas. Parties such as Neo, Evroko and the Solidarity Movement (KA) have won seats in elections in the 2000s without making any major impact on the country’s politics. Without holding a seat in parliament, KA is one of four parties supporting the current, non-partisan, president Nicos Christodoulides, who was elected in 2023.

The National Popular Front (ELAM), a greek-cypriotic ethno-nationalist party, has been slightly more successful with the electorate. It is a far-right party, founded in 2008. From the start, ELAM had close connections to the neo-nazi, and now illegal, Golden Dawn (XA) party in Greece. In fact ELAM was originally to be considered as a Cypriot branch of XA. For example, before registering as a party, it was called “Golden Dawn: Cypriot Kernel”. Ilias Kasidiaris, the convicted leader of XA, said that “ELAM is the Golden Dawn of Cyprus”. However, in the summer of 2020, ELAM cut its financial ties to XA after previously receiving extensive support.

ELAM opposes any federal solution to the Cyprus dispute, instead arguing that Cyprus should be united with Greece. ELAM is highly conservative on social issues, for example opposed to legalization of Cannabis and wants the president to consult with the Church of Cyprus on important issues. It is somewhat left-leaning on economic issues and critical of globalisation. The most important issue for ELAM, however, is immigration. The party has gained support due to the rise in migration to Cyprus, in particular from Syria. It wants a total ban on all forms of Muslim headscarves. . They want to abolish welfare and subsidies for ethnic Turks.

Christos Christou.

ELAM scored its best result ever in the parliamentary elections in 2021 and became the fourth largest party with 6.8 percent. However, it did even better in the 2019 EP election, when the party won 8.3 percent. In the 2024 EP elections, ELAM got 11 per cent and won its first MEP, who joined the ECR group.

It has gained popularity following the same recipe as Golden Dawn in Greece: by blaming the economic crisis on immigrants, and by taking an active part in charity work; its members volunteering with fighting forest fires, donating blood and other charitable works. ELAM also took a critical stance towards the governments policy of shutdown during the pandemic.

Christos Christou has been president of the party since its foundation. In the presidential elections in 2018 and 2023, Christou won 5.6 and 6 percent, respectively.

The democratic legitimacy of ELAM can be questioned. Supporters and members have been involved in several acts of violence against immigrants and students at the University of Nicosia. Party leader Christou has also hinted that the party may be open to violence if needed.

The current strategy of the party leadership is widely described as an attempt to become a more mature version of the KA; maintaining their anti-establishment position while simultaneously moderating its rhetoric. As a sign of the normalisation of the party, the president of Cyprus proposed a coalition government with the Democratic Rally party and ELAM after the 2021 election. The offer was rejected by ELAM.

EP elections

Number of authoritarian or populist MEP:s (2024): 2/6

In the European parliamentary elections, AKEL has won two seats in every election since Cyprus became a member in 2004. In 2024, however, following its worst result ever in a national election, AKEL only won a single seat. In 2009, Niyazi Kizilyurek of AKEL became the first ethnic turkish-cypriot to be elected to EP, and thus the first from the turkish-cypriot community to hold elected office since 1963. All AKEL MEP:s have joined the GUE-NGL group.

ELAM won its first seat in 2024, joining the ECR group.

In the EP elections in 2024, a 24-year old Youtuber, Fidias Panayiotou, won one of Cyprus six seats in the EP, with the support of 19.4 percent of the voters, making him the third strongest political force in the country. Fidias ran as an independent, having no partisant background, and has since let his followers vote on whether he should join and party group (he did not) or whether he should support a second term for Ursula von der Leyen (he did not). Fidias claimed that his victory marked a “new chapter in the book of democracy”. The “Fidias factor” was also attributed the rise in voter turnout (from 45 to 59 percent).

Authoritarian Populism Index.

cyprus

Populism Rank: 9

Summary

Voter support for radical left in last elections (2021):

– 3.4 %.

Voter support for radical right in last elections: + 0.2 %.

Populist or radical parties in government (2024): none

Number of radical or populist MEP:s (2024): 2/6.

01 Speakers

Demetris Christofias.

Christos Christou.

EP elections

AKEL summary

Economics: LEFT

Social issues: PROGRESSIVE

EU: PRO-EUROPEAN

Democratic credibility: MEDIUM

ELAM summary

Economics: LEFT

Social issues: CONSERVATIVE

EU: HARD EUROSCEPTICISM

Democratic credibility: LOW

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International outreach and translation supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation and Atlas Network.