Nicosia: Cyprus officially proclaimed on Monday the 56 new Members of Parliament elected in the May 24 parliamentary elections, formally shaping the composition of the new House of Representatives, which is expected to convene for the first time on June 4.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the proclamation ceremony at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre was attended by party leaders, senior political figures, relatives, and supporters of the newly elected MPs. This event marked the beginning of a new parliamentary term amid significant political shifts, the emergence of new political movements, and a changing electoral landscape.
The process commenced with the proclamation of MPs elected through the first allocation of seats. The MPs were announced in alphabetical order of the political parties, based on the highest number of preference votes received by candidates within each party.
The Nicosia district MPs were proclaimed by Nicosia District Returning Officer Andreas Hadjipakkos. From AKEL, Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou, Giorgos Loukaides, Christos Christofides, and Aristos Damianou were officially proclaimed. ALMA's party leader Odysseas Michaelides secured election to parliament.
Democratic Rally's Demetres Demetriou, Giorgos Pamboridis, Savia Orphanidou, Andreas Constantinou, and Charalambos Petrides were also proclaimed. Constantinou's election is expected to trigger a by-election for the position of deputy mayor in the Aglantzia municipal district.
Democratic Party leader Nikolas Papadopoulos and ELAM president Christos Christou were also proclaimed. From the movement Direct Democracy, Yiannis Laouris entered parliament after party leader Fidias Panayiotou decided to retain his seat in the European Parliament.
The proclamation for Limassol was conducted by Returning Officer Emily Dionysiou. AKEL candidates Ephraim Christou and Marina Nicolaou were proclaimed, with the 24-year-old Christou becoming the youngest MP in the new parliament. Panicos Leonidou was elected for DIKO, while DISY secured seats for Fotini Tsiridou, Giorgos Karaiskakis, and Michalis Fellas. ELAM's Polys Anogyriatis also entered parliament.
For the Famagusta district, Returning Officer Florentia Georgiou proclaimed AKEL MPs Nikos Kettiros and Giorgos Koukoumas, DISY MPs Giorgos Karoullas, Nikos Georgiou, and Giorgos Lyssandridis, as well as ELAM's Linos Papayiannis.
In the Larnaca district, under Returning Officer Georgia Loizia, Andreas Pasiourtides was proclaimed for AKEL, while DISY president Annita Demetriou secured election. In Paphos, Returning Officer Euphrosyne Georgiou Flourentzou proclaimed Valentinos Fakontis for AKEL and Charalambos Pazaros for DISY.
The ceremony continued with the proclamation of MPs elected through the second and third seat allocation rounds, conducted by Chief Returning Officer Elikkos Elia. For Nicosia, Constantinos Constantinou of AKEL, Irene Charalambidou of ALMA, Christiana Erotokritou and Chrisis Pantelides of DIKO, along with Marios Pelekanos and Andreas Papacharalambous of ELAM, were officially declared elected.
For Limassol, Argentoula Ioannou of AKEL, Michalis Paraskevas of ALMA, Demetris Souglis of Direct Democracy, Michalis Kounounis of DISY, and Evgenios Chamboulas of ELAM were proclaimed.
For Famagusta, Yiannakis Gavriel of AKEL, Litsa Drousiotou of ALMA, Diana Lucia Constantinidis of Direct Democracy, Zacharias Koulias of DIKO, and Linos Hadjigeorgiou of ELAM secured seats.
From Larnaca, Panicos Xiourouppas of AKEL, Andreas Apostolou of DIKO, Prodromos Alampritis of DISY, and Sotiris Ioannou of ELAM were proclaimed. In Paphos, Dimitris Baros of Direct Democracy, Chrysanthos Savvides of DIKO, and Nicoletta Constantinou of DISY entered parliament, while in Kyrenia district Anastasia Hasikou of AKEL, Adamos Aspris of DIKO, and Dimos Georgiades of DISY were proclaimed.
During the ceremony, representatives of Cyprus' religious groups in parliament were also formally presented. Petros Nacouzi was proclaimed representative of the Maronite community. It was also recalled that Vartkes Mahdessian, representative of the Armenian religious group, and Antonella Lydia Mantovani, representative of the Latin religious group, had already been proclaimed elected on May 7 without opposition.
Speaking after the ceremony, DISY President Annita Demetriou said Cyprus must move forward 'with responsibility, stability, and perspective,' stressing that voters had chosen 'security, moderation, and policies that deliver results.' She described the coming political period as 'a decisive battle for the country,' emphasizing the need for seriousness and clear positions against political toxicity and divisive rhetoric.
AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou expressed satisfaction with his party's performance, stating AKEL emerged 'stronger and more united,' increasing both its vote share and number of votes despite a challenging political climate and record participation by parties and candidates. Stefanou added that discussions regarding the presidency of the House of Representatives would take place in the coming days.
ELAM President Christos Christou stated that 'hard work begins from today' as the party prepares to address the challenges faced by society in the post-election period. Christou emphasized the importance of forming a strong parliamentary group within the House of Representatives and expressed gratitude to the party's candidates and supporters.
ALMA leader Odysseas Michaelides announced he would not seek the presidency of the House, describing the election result as 'a new beginning' and an opportunity to push for institutional reforms and changes in the functioning of the state through parliamentary work.
Meanwhile, Fidias Panayiotou confirmed he would remain a Member of the European Parliament, arguing that it was beneficial for the Direct Democracy movement to maintain representation at the European level. Commenting on the election outcome, he described the result as 'a small victory' and the beginning of hard work ahead.