Nicosia, Cyprus. A poll published by public broadcaster Rik on Thursday night put Disy and Akel in the lead ahead of May’s parliamentary election, while Alma on Friday accused Rik of repeatedly excluding it from panels.
Poll results and party standings
According to Rik’s poll, Disy leads with 17 per cent and Akel follows with 16 per cent. Elam ranks third with 11 per cent, followed by former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides’ Alma party with 9 per cent.
Approximately 6.5 per cent of respondents expressed support for the newly established political party of Youtuber and MEP Fidias Panayiotou, which was renamed Direct Democracy of Cyprus this week after an objection by the election office.
With 2.5 per cent, both Edek and the Ecologists Movement would currently fall short of the 3.6 per cent electoral threshold required to enter parliament.
Alma’s complaint against Rik
Alma published a statement on Friday accusing Rik of the “repeated exclusion of its representatives and announcements” and criticised the broadcaster for not inviting the party to the live broadcast of the poll presentation on Thursday night, despite ranking as the fourth strongest party.
“This is a conscious deception of public opinion,” Alma said.
The party accused Rik of allowing established parties to spread “propaganda alleging Alma has no positions and that it constitutes a danger to the functioning of the country’s political system”.
Alma said Rik’s decision not to invite the party to the presentation went beyond journalistic choices and damaged the pluralism that public radio and television ought to promote.
Views on Cyprus’ cooperation with Greece and Israel
Rik also surveyed its 1,213 respondents on Cyprus’ collaboration with both Greece and Israel, showing what it described as a marked shift in public sentiment.
A total of 41 per cent said Cyprus could rely on Israel to strengthen its defence, compared with 9.5 per cent in a similar poll conducted in 2024.
What do you consider the most important issue for Cyprus’ parties to address ahead of May’s parliamentary election?