Nicosia, Cyprus. Disy on Saturday unveiled its campaign battle bus for the forthcoming parliamentary election and began an island tour led by party leader Annita Demetriou. The tour set off from the party’s headquarters on Pindarou Street.
Campaign launch and messaging
Demetriou, wearing a party-branded t-shirt printed with the words “forward, responsibly”, said that during the tour she and the party aim to “listen to society, speak with the people, and convey the message of victory everywhere”.
She said “the stakes of the elections are particularly important”.
“Politics starts with the people and must return to the people. We have formed our positions, we have a strong team, and we are sure that people will stand by us in this great effort,” she said.
Tour stops across the island
The bus’ first stop was Paralimni, with further stops in Larnaca and Paphos expected in the near future.
Polling and party competition
According to polling, Disy is neck-and-neck with Akel in the battle for first place, after being the largest party at every parliamentary election since 2006.
Both parties are expected to lose votes and seats compared to the previous election, with new parties such as social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy Cyprus and former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides’ Alma expected to perform well on May 24.
Seat distribution and changes by district
A total of 56 seats will be contested, with 19 for MPs from the Nicosia district, 12 from the Limassol district, 11 from the Famagusta district, six from the Larnaca district, five from the Paphos district, and three from the Kyrenia district.
Paphos gained an extra seat ahead of the election due to growth in its voting population, with the additional seat coming at the expense of the Nicosia district.
Constitutional framework
The Republic of Cyprus’ constitution initially foresaw a parliament with 50 voting members, of whom 35 would be Greek Cypriots and 15 would be Turkish Cypriots, along with non-voting observers from the Armenian, Latin, and Maronite communities.
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