The countdown to the May 26 European Parliament elections is underway and parties are stepping up campaigning, with much of the attention focused on which of the smaller parties will secure Cyprus’ sixth seat.
Disy is confident of securing two seats, but it remains to be seen which two candidates will secure them. A big question mark also hangs over the party’s overall strength with Disy likely to pay for public displeasure with the government over recent developments such as over the co-op.
The party secured 37.75% in the 2014 EP elections and anything close to that will be considered a success.
Akel is confident it will retain its two seats, but here too it remains unclear which candidates will end up being elected. In the last elections, the left wing party secured 26.98% and anything above this will be considered a success.
Diko has one seat in the European Parliament which it sees certain as retaining. Competition between candidates is keen. The party’s strength was 10.83% in 2014 and Diko is aiming to exceed this.
Edek has one seat which it is battling to retain. In the previous elections it ran a joint ticket with the Greens and secured 7.68%.
The Greens are fielding a joint ticket with Citizens’ Alliance which in the 2014 elections had secured 6.78% on its own. All efforts are on securing a seat.
Far right party Elam is shown by public opinion polls to be ahead in the battle for the sixth seat.
Newly formed Dimokratiki Parataxi set up primarily by former Diko members will enter its first electoral battle aiming to secure enough votes to secure a seat in the National Council, and if possible elect an MEP.
Yiasemi, a platform of Turkish Cypriot candidates headed by Turkish Cypriot journalist Sener Levent is strongly anti-occupation. Some 80,000 Turkish Cypriots are eligible to vote on May 26, though the platform does not restrict its message only to the Turkish Cypriot community.
The Animal Party secured 0.88% in 2014 and any figure above that will be a success.
