Cyprus sees strong voter turnout in European elections

The European elections in Cyprus saw a turnout of 58.86% on Sunday, according to Chief Returning Officer Elikkos Elia. This marked a significant participation rate as Cypriots cast their votes to determine their representatives in the European Parliament.

In a detailed announcement, Elia revealed that the six seats allocated to Cyprus in the European Parliament are distributed among several parties: the Democratic Rally (DISY) secured two seats, while the left-wing AKEL, independent YouTuber Fidias Panayiotou, far-right ELAM, and DIKO each claimed one seat. The official proclamation of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will take place on Tuesday at 8:30 am local time at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia.

The newly elected MEPs are Loukas Fourlas (DISY), Michalis Hadjipantela (DISY), George Georgiou (AKEL), Fidias Panayiotou, Geadis Geadi (ELAM), and Costas Mavrides (DIKO).

Out of 683,432 registered voters, 402,276 participated in the election. The abstention rate was 41.14%, equating to 281,156 people. The majority of the ballot papers, 368,455 (91.59%), were deemed valid, while 8,450 (2.1%) were invalid, and 25,371 (6.31%) were blank.

The distribution of votes among the major parties was as follows:
- DISY: 91,316 votes (24.78%)
- AKEL - Left - Social Alliance: 79,163 votes (21.49%)
- Fidias Panayiotou: 71,330 votes (19.36%)
- ELAM: 41,215 votes (11.19%)
- DIKO: 35,815 votes (9.72%)
- EDEK: 18,681 votes (5.07%)
- VOLT Cyprus: 10,777 votes (2.92%)
- DIPA: 7,988 votes (2.17%)
- Movement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation: 4,742 votes (1.29%)
- Active Citizens-Movement of United Cypriot Hunters: 4,603 votes (1.25%)
- Animal Party Cyprus: 1,013 votes (0.27%)
- Ethniki Drasis Movement: 979 votes (0.27%)
- Andronikos Zervides: 444 votes (0.12%)
- Niki party: 389 votes (0.11%)

These results underscore the dynamic and diverse political landscape in Cyprus, as parties and independent candidates vie for influence in the European Parliament. The election has set the stage for the next chapter in Cyprus' political engagement with the European Union.