Nicosia, Cyprus. Alma on Monday acknowledged that its entry into parliament fell short of expectations, while saying the result still marked a significant political breakthrough after winning four seats in its first election campaign.
Election result
In a statement after Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the party said its “leap into parliament was not as big as we had hoped, but it was not insignificant”, describing the outcome as a strong foundation for its future political presence.
The movement, founded by former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides, won four seats and 5.8% of the vote, entering parliament alongside Fidias Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy of Cyprus as one of two new political forces represented in the House.
Alma said it would position itself as “the voice of the responsible opposition” while supporting “open-minded consensus where needed” and promoting reforms focused on “transparency and accountability”.
Political landscape
The statement came after an election that largely preserved the dominance of Cyprus’ established parties despite months of speculation over major political change.
Disy retained its 17 seats, while Akel held onto 15 seats. Elam became the third-largest parliamentary force after doubling its representation from four seats to eight.
Alma’s leadership described the result as a successful first electoral test for a movement created last year after Michaelides was removed from office by the Supreme Court.
“We are proud that, out of nowhere, we gained decent parliamentary representation,” the party said, adding that it intended to honour “the 21,968 citizens who voted for us and expect the best from us”.
“In the near future, we will self-critically evaluate the election result,” the statement said, adding that the movement aimed to “spread roots in society”.
The comments followed remarks by Michaelides shortly before the election result, when he predicted voters would unleash “the wrath of God” upon the political establishment.
