REPORT , illustration, Title photo sual icon or keyvi Vasiliki Triga THE CYPRIOT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 2026 AND THEIR AFTERMATH Introduction The Republic of Cyprus(RoC) held parliamentary elections on 24 May 2026 to elect 56 members of the House of Representatives. These elections were the 11 th since the restoration of democracy in 1976. The elected 56 members of the Parliament are Greek Cypriots across six multi­member constituencies corresponding to the island’s administrative districts. There are currently 24 seats reserved for Turkish Cypriots which have remained unfilled since the breakdown of the constitutional order in 1963. Voting took place under an open-list proportional representation system, with an electoral threshold of 3.6%. A total of 568,587 voters were registered. Cyprus operates as the only full presidential democracy in the European Union. The President, who is currently Nikos Christodoulides, is both head of state and head of government and under this system he governs independently of parliamentary majorities. The composition of parliament nevertheless, remains a critical determinant of governance, since presidents have frequently been forced to seek cross­party coalitions to pass legislation. The 2026 parliamentary elections were held in a context shaped by three interrelated dynamics: the continued fragmentation of the political centre, a surge in anti­establishment sentiment that first manifested itself in the 2023 presidential race, and the growing salience of everyday problems such as the cost-of-living, immigration, trust in institutions and to a lesser extent the Cyprus Problem in the public debate. Six parties crossed the 3.6% threshold required to enter parliament: the centre-right Democratic Rally(DISY), the left­wing Progressive Party of Working People(AKEL), the far­right National Popular Front(ELAM), the centrist Democratic Party(DIKO), and two newcomers, the anti-corruption movement ALMA and the populist Direct Democracy party, founded by the member of the European Parliament, well­known youtuber, Fidias Panayiotou. The result confirmed that Cyprus now operates in a genuinely multi-party parliamentary system, where no single bloc commands a majority. Political Context before the Elections The road to the 2026 elections was shaped by three years of political transition following the 2023 presidential race. President Nikos Christodoulides was elected as an independent(ex-minister of Foreign Affairs of Anastasiadis’ government and former member of DISY) backed by DIKO, The Cypriot parliamentary elections of 2026 and their aftermath 1