Democratic Rally The centre-right
Democratic Rally (DISY) is the largest political party in
Cyprus, holding 17 of the 56 seats in the
House of Representatives. Following its defeat in the
2023 presidential election and internal divisions resulting from the
independent candidacy of former DISY member
Nikos Christodoulides, the party's stance as the
official opposition has been perceived as ambiguous. Several of Christodoulides' ministers are active DISY members, and on occasions, such as the 2024 National Budget, DISY made fewer amendments to the
President's proposal compared to the governing parties. This perceived lack of opposition has contributed to public dissatisfaction with DISY's role in countering the
Christodoulides administration, which has faced increasing unpopularity. During the candidate selection process for the
2024 European Parliament Election, DISY's internal elections resulted in one of the then-vice presidents,
Marios Pelekanos, finishing second to last, excluding him from the six-candidate ballot. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Pelekanos resigned from his leadership position, citing a series of incidents that, according to him, undermined his standing within the party. On March 22, 2024, it was announced following multi-day discussions with
ELAM (National Popular Front) that Pelekanos would be running in the European elections under ELAM's banner. This decision was condemned by DISY leader
Annita Demetriou, who emphasised the ideological differences between the two parties. DISY subsequently removed Pelekanos from its membership registry. Pelekanos, who had also served as the government spokesperson during the DISY-backed
Anastasiades' administration (2021–2023), ultimately became
ELAM's Press Representative. Despite DISY securing a first-place finish in the European elections, their 24.8% share of the vote marked the worst performance in the party's history.
DISY continued to face internal challenges after the
European elections, notably between
Averof Neofytou, the party's former leader and its presidential candidate in
2023, and
Nicos Anastasiades, former party leader and
President of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. In a podcast on July 8, 2024, Anastasiades criticised Neofytou's
2023 presidential campaign, suggesting that it had failed to resonate with DISY supporters, contributing to the party's defeat. He also questioned Neofytou's alignment with
AKEL-backed candidate
Andreas Mavroyiannis during the second round of the election, to which Neofytou failed to qualify. Anastasiades' remark that he did not want to "bother with bitter people," directed at Neofytou, prompted a response from Neofytou on social media, stating that the "bitter" ones were the thousands who had once trusted Anastasiades, along with broader criticisms of Anastasiades' handling of the
Cyprus problem.
Neofytou also clashed with current DISY leader
Annita Demetriou over the party's support for the
Great Sea Interconnector, a planned
HVDC interconnector between the
Greek,
Cypriot, and
Israeli
power grids. The project, primarily developed during the DISY-backed
Anastasiades’ presidency, has strong backing from DISY. However, Neofytou expressed strong disagreement about advancing energy projects before resolving the
Cyprus problem and questioned whether the interconnection will actually reduce energy bills in
Cyprus. This stance put him at odds with Demetriou, who strongly supports the project. In September 2024, when asked about Neofytou's potential candidacy for the
2028 presidential election—following his own expressed interest—
Annita Demetriou responded that Neofytou had already been tested in
2023, and in light of the public's verdict, DISY should now move forward for the benefit of the country. Prominent
MPs Averof Neofytou,
Efthymios Diplaros, and
Harris Georgiades have announced that they will not seek re-election in the upcoming legislative election, in adherence to the party statute's 3-term-limit. However, they intend to remain politically active. Despite AKEL's strong showing in the
2023 presidential election, with candidate
Andreas Mavroyiannis surpassing polling expectations,
Irene Charalambidou, a prominent AKEL
member of Parliament, has increasingly distanced herself from the party's positions, frequently voting independently in the
House of Representatives. The rift between Charalambidou and AKEL deepened during the controversy over the dismissal of
Odysseas Michaelides, the former
Auditor General of
Cyprus. Charalambidou is a longstanding supporter of Michaelides due to his efforts against perceived
corruption during the
Anastasiades administration. The
MP is ineligible to run for AKEL in the 2026 legislative elections due to term limits, and there are widespread rumours that she may join a new parliamentary movement led by Michaelides, who has garnered popularity for his
anti-corruption stance. An opinion poll conducted by RetailZoom from October 14 to 16, 2024, indicated that a hypothetical new party led by Odysseas Michaelides would secure second place in the next legislative election, receiving 21% of the vote.
AKEL rebranded itself as "AKEL - Social Alliance" for the
2024 European Parliament Election, following a merger with several smaller left-leaning parties. The party intends to keep this structure for the next legislative election, with its parliamentary candidates ranging from the political center to the traditional left.
National People's Front The
far-right party
ELAM is expected to strengthen its presence in the
House of Representatives, with opinion polls projecting a third-place finish, surpassing for the first time the centrist
Democratic Party. Once considered a fringe movement, over the last few years ELAM has gained increasing support from mainstream
right-wing voters. Notably, former
DISY vice-president
Marios Pelekanos was appointed as ELAM's Press Representative, signaling broader appeal beyond its traditional base. announced the formation of a new political party named the
Democratic National Movement. The new party espouses a platform emphasizing religious conservatism, nationalism, and strong opposition to progressive social policies ("anti-woke"). It is anticipated to attract support from traditional ELAM voters, potentially impacting ELAM's projected growth. As of September 2025, this has not happened.
ALMA – Citizens for Cyprus ALMA (an acronym for Dignity, Accountability, Reform, and Development) is a new political movement founded in May 2025 by former Auditor General
Odysseas Michaelides. Positioned within the reformist
center and
opposition space, ALMA was established with the aim of achieving systemic restructuring and political transparency in Cyprus. The party has announced its intention to contest the 2026 legislative elections as its first electoral test, with Michaelides aiming for a strong parliamentary presence as a step toward a potential presidential bid in
2028. ALMA advocates for a federal solution to the
Cyprus problem in line with UN resolutions and EU principles, and has drawn speculation about future alliances, particularly with MP
Irene Charalambidou, a known supporter of Michaelides who has distanced herself from her current party
AKEL.
Volt Cyprus Volt is a new political party that forms part of the pan-European
Volt Europa movement and presents itself as strongly pro-European and progressive. This is the first time it is standing in the general election, and in February it unveiled its list of 56 candidates. The average age of the candidates is 48.8, and 41.1% of the list are women. Volt's MP
Alexandra Attalides, originally elected as a member of
Movement of Ecologists – Citizens' Cooperation, is standing for re-election in the Nicosia district.
Retiring MPs 18 MPs are not seeking reelection. • Efthymios Diplaros (
DISY) • Averof Neofytou (
DISY) • Nicos Tornaritis (
DISY) • Charis Georgiades (
DISY) • Onouphrios Koullas (
DISY) • Kyriacos Chatzigiannis (
DISY) • Nikos Sykas (
DISY), removed from parties list. • Andros Kyprianou (
AKEL) • Andros Kafkalias (
AKEL) • Kostas Kosta (
AKEL) • Christos Christofias (
AKEL) • Pavlos Mylonas (
DIKO) • Christos Orfanides (
DIKO) • Ilias Myrianthous (
EDEK) • Marinos Sizopoulos (
EDEK) • Kostis Efstathiou (Independent), expelled from EDEK • Charalambos Theopemptou (
KOSP) • Marios Garoyian (
DiPa), leader of DiPa
Party switching MPs 3 MPs have switched their party to stand with a different one. •
Irene Charalambidou, formerly of
AKEL to
ALMA • Andreas Apostolou, formerly of
EDEK to
DIKO • Michalis Giakoumis, formerly of
DiPa, to
DIKO. == Opinion polls ==