The Ministry of the Interior forwarded data on posts and advertisements on social media by 27 natural persons and pages, which allegedly had a direct or indirect relationship with the 2026 parliamentary elections, and which took place on the eve or on the day of the elections, said the Deputy Commissioner of Elections Menelaos Vassiliou, when asked about it, after the summons to testify to the Police of the president of OPEC.
For his part, the spokesman of the Police, Byron Vyronos, stated that the Police have already started taking statements for all the investigated cases, noting that more than 100 posts were identified, which are linked, at first glance, to 27 people, whom the Police call to take statements, to interrogate them. "Among them is Theano Kalavana, who was the only one who reacted strongly," he said.
There were 127 complaints, says Ass. Returning Officer
According to Mr. Vassiliou, the data was forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior by the Press and Information Office and then, on September 1, a letter was sent to the Legal Service, as "for some cases, at first glance, there is a violation of the provisions of the law".
He explained that these are "either paid advertisements or posts related to the elections and not paid", He also clarified that in total there were 127 complaints "concerning advertisements or posts, which were directly or indirectly related to the 2026 parliamentary elections, by any person, with or without payment", and which were made on the eve or on the day of the vote.
Asked to comment on the fact that the president of OPEC, Theano Kalavana, was summoned to the TAE Headquarters to give explanations for her post with political content on social media, Mr. Vassiliou said that this is not the first time that the Ministry of the Interior has examined posts on social media in relation to the ban that applies on the eve and on the day of the elections, noting that in the 2024 elections, relevant cases were also sent to the Legal Service for investigation.
Referring to the 2026 parliamentary elections, he explained that the law does not distinguish between candidates and non-candidates. "The law says that on the eve of the election and on the day of the vote, no person is allowed to make any post or broadcast any news or advertisement that is directly or indirectly related to the elections, with or without payment," he said.
As he said, this is the Law on the Election of the Members of the House of Representatives and specifically for article 63, paragraph (b). "The law does not discriminate between candidates or non-candidates, does not distinguish between paid and unpaid advertising and, in fact, sets the broader framework that any post has a direct or indirect relationship with the elections," he added.
He added that "as is done before any election", so before the 2026 parliamentary elections, relevant announcements had been issued by the Office of the Chief Returning Officer, while a team had been set up at the Press and Information Office, which monitored social media.
According to Mr. Vassiliou, on the basis of the data sent by the Press and Information Office, the Ministry of the Interior sent a letter to the Legal Service on September 1, as "for some cases, at first glance, there is a violation of the provisions of the law", explaining that these are either paid advertisements or posts related to the elections and were not paid".
Regarding the specific case of Ms. Kalavana, he said that it was a post that was made on the eve of the elections. Asked about the content of the post, he said that the post is still on its page.
At the same time, he clarified that the case of Ms. Kavana was not the only one. Asked if the background of the person is a criterion for the investigation, he said that "the background does not play any role. Other people who were not politicians or anything else, who posted, were also sent. We had five cases where they were not candidates," he said.
Asked about Ms. Kalavana's position that she expressed her opinion as an ordinary citizen, he reiterated that "the law does not distinguish between candidates and ordinary citizens", adding that "the criterion of the law is that there is any direct or indirect relationship with the elections".
In relation to messages of political content sent during the same period, he clarified that the issue concerning personal data is a different issue and is handled by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
Regarding the continuation of the process, Mr. Vassiliou stated that the Legal Service considered that the cases should be forwarded to the Police for further investigation as to whether criminal offenses arise.
As he said, this offense is criminal and, in case of conviction, "a penalty of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to €5.000 or both sentences together is provided".
Byron: The taking of statements has started
For his part, the spokesman of the Police, Byron Byronos, stated that the Police began taking statements for all the investigated cases.
As he explained, about five days ago they received the correspondence with instructions from the Legal Service to investigate a complaint by the Returning Officer about posts made on social media during the period in which any post is prohibited, i.e. the day before and on the day of the elections and concern a violation of the law on the election of persons of the use of representatives.
As he said, "some posts beyond 100 were found, which are linked, at first glance, to 27 people, whom the Police call to take statements, to interrogate them. Among them is Theano Kalavana, who was the only one who reacted strongly."
When asked from which political parties the political figures for whom there is a complaint come from, he said "that we do not need to go into such details". He also said that after receiving testimonies, the investigative work will be completed and sent back to the Legal Service for further instructions.
Asked if this is the first time something like this has happened, he said that such complaints have been made in the past and have been investigated. "There is a law, we must abide by it, the laws are for everyone," he said. Asked to comment on whether it is clear about what is allowed when it comes to a citizen and not a political figure, Mr. Byron underlined that the law says "by any person".
CNA
