Nicosia, Cyprus. A sizeable share of voters remain undecided ahead of Cyprus’ May 24 parliamentary election, according to recent opinion polls. Rai Consultants’ latest survey found 26.3 per cent of respondents had not yet made a decision.
Rai Consultants poll shows undecideds near combined support for Akel and Disy
In the most recent poll conducted by Rai Consultants for television channel Alpha, 26.3 per cent of those asked said they were undecided. The same poll put Akel on 15.3 per cent and Disy on 15 per cent, meaning the undecided share was nearly as large as the two parties’ combined support.
Other polls also point to significant uncertainty
A poll conducted in April by Cymar for television channel Ant1 found 17 per cent of voters were undecided. Newspaper Kathimerini’s most recent poll placed undecided voters at 8.1 per cent, a figure still higher than the share of respondents who said they would vote for Diko.
Kathimerini’s most recent poll also recorded more undecided voters than its previous poll, when 5.8 per cent of voters said they were undecided.
Explorer polls show rising undecided numbers
Polls conducted by Explorer for newspaper Phileleftheros have also shown an increase, with undecided voters rising to 14 per cent in recent months.
Recent election experience highlighted challenges for pollsters
High levels of undecided voters were also recorded ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, when pollsters missed the rise of social media influencer Fidias Panayiotou. Two weeks before that election, Panayiotou polled as low as 3.8 per cent, but went on to take 19.4 per cent of the vote.
He became the first independent Cypriot candidate to win a seat in the European Parliament in Cyprus since the country joined the European Union in 2004, and one of only five independents among the 720 MEPs elected across the continent in 2024.
In the current parliamentary campaign, pollsters are predicting Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy Cyprus party will win just under 10 per cent of the vote.
How might the high number of undecided voters affect the final outcome on May 24?
