Pieros Karoullas and Lysia Demetriou elected Volt co-chairs

Nicosia, Cyprus. Pieros Karoullas and Lysia Demetriou were elected co-chairs of Volt on Saturday, defeating economist Ioannis Tirkides and Natasa Ioannou. The new leadership faces the task of rebuilding the party at grassroots level.

Leadership elections

Ioannou previously stood for Kyrenia in May’s parliamentary elections. Outgoing co-chairs Andromache Sophocleous and Panos Parras had announced earlier that they would not seek re-election.

Rodoula Demetriadou was elected female vice-chair unopposed, while Alexandros Apostolides defeated Frixos Vryonides for the male vice-chair post. Party rules require one man and one woman in each pair of posts.

The party’s roughly 700 members were also due to vote for the remaining 21 members of the political council, which will then elect five members of the executive bureau.

Organisational challenges and election plans

Internal discussions have identified Volt’s “organisational structure” as its biggest weakness. Party sources said Volt lacked the organised machinery of traditional parties in the final stretch of the campaign.

In May’s parliamentary elections, Volt received 3.1 per cent of the vote, or 11,487 votes, falling short of the threshold for entering the House. Opinion polls had projected that the party would win two or three seats.

The new leadership will decide how Volt approaches the 2028 presidential election. Party sources said it would first establish criteria for a candidate, then consult possible candidates before reaching a final decision.

Policy priorities

On the Cyprus problem, Volt supports a bizonal, bicommunal federation and has criticised efforts to “demonise” a settlement before talks begin.

Its other priorities include modernising the economy and combating corruption.