in-cyprus 1 February 2026 - by Frixos Dalitis
Fresh scandals and explosive leaks are destabilising the Cypriot political landscape as traditional parties bleed support to anti-establishment newcomers. A wave of controversies—ranging from the “Emily Thompson” video leak to criminal investigations into high-ranking officials—has left the electorate volatile. While the far-right ELAM cements its role as a kingmaker, two new forces, Odysseas Michaelides’ “Alma” movement and MEP Fidias Panayiotou’s party, are aggressively redrawing the electoral map.
MEP Fidias Panayiotou now faces a dual crisis: a European Public Prosecutor’s probe into the misuse of parliamentary funds and a fierce backlash after he used a slur to describe people with intellectual disabilities. This blunder prompted an immediate, calculated strike from AKEL, which fears losing its working-class base to the YouTuber’s populist appeal. Meanwhile, DISY is grappling with internal turmoil as it prepares for a February Supreme Council meeting to purge the fallout from the Nikos Sykas and Phedon Phedonos cases.
In the political centre, the coalition parties are fractured. DIKO leaders narrowly defeated a proposal to quit the government following the recent video leak, even as the party struggles to define its strategy amidst rumours of a pact with DISY. Seizing the chaos, Odysseas Michaelides has launched a counter-offensive to revive his “Alma” movement, sparking a bitter row with the Greens over candidate poaching.
Despite the barrage of scandals, government approval ratings remain stubbornly stagnant rather than collapsing. January 2026 figures show 68% of the public remains dissatisfied, a figure largely unchanged since 2023. As the election looms, the entry of new parties like Christoforos Tornaritis’s “Sikou Pano” threatens to further shatter the old guard’s grip on power.
