List of names of political parties and independents, transliterated in Latin characters:
* “Traditional” parties
▸ A rise in the number of parties participating in elections can be observed since 1981. In the 1985 elections only 4 parties ran, while in 2021 there were 15 party formations.
▸ The highest percentage recorded for a party since 1981 was 35.81% in 1991 (DISY).
▸ "Traditional" parties (AKEL, DIKO, EDEK, DISY), while remaining dominant, have seen their combined share decline from 99.71% in 1985 to 68.12% in 2021.
*In 1991 and 1996, DISY formed a coaliation with the Liberals
▸ The only elections where no party received over 100,000 votes were those of 1981 and 2021 — the former due to a small electorate (309k), the latter due to abstention (191k) and vote fragmentation across 15 parties.
▸ The electoral law changed in 2017: voting was no longer compulsory as it had been since 1960.
▸ A total of 17 party formations have been represented in parliament.
▸ Independent candidates have been elected in three different parliamentary periods, most recently in 2011–16 (Zacharias Koulias).
▸ AKEL is the only party to have elected MPs from the founding of the Republic of Cyprus to the present day.
▸ The Patriotic Front held the most seats (30) in any single election.
▸ DISY (3 times) and AKEL (1 time) have been represented by 20 MPs.
▸ 10 parties have been represented only once in parliament: ADHK, Allilengyi, DIPA, EDI, Eniaion, Movement of Free Democrats, NEO, Patriotic Front, Progressive Alliance, Citizens' Alliance.
▸ The maximum number of party coalitions represented in parliament was 8 (in the periods 2016–21 and 2001–06).
▸ The minimum was 2 (in 1960, immediately after independence) — that parliament lasted 10 years (1960–70).
In 1981 the first female MP was elected (Rina Katseli)
▸ A total of 292 different MPs have been elected to parliament: 266 men and just 26 women.
▸ The first female MP was elected in 1981 — Rina Katseli in the Kyrenia district with DIKO, who served three parliamentary terms.
▸ The most women ever elected was in 2021: 10 (18%). Despite an upward trend, women remain underrepresented.
9 Speakers of the Parliament since 1960.
* Refers to Speakers as elected at the beginning of each parliamentary period.
▸ Across 12 parliamentary periods since 1960, there have been nine different Speakers.
▸ Eight were men; one (current Speaker Annita Demetriou) is a woman.
▸ DIKO-affiliated Speakers were elected in four parliamentary periods.
▸ Three Speakers also went on to serve as Presidents of the Republic.
▸ Note: The parliamentary period 1970–1975 was extended until September 1976, during which Tassos Papadopoulos served as Speaker.
8 terms, for Vassos Lyssarides
▸ The longest-serving MP was Vassos Lyssarides with 45 years and eight parliamentary terms.
▸ In second place: Yiannakis Omirou and Nikos Anastasiades, both with 34 years and 7 terms.
▸ The top spots are exclusively held by men.
▸ Among women, four have served three terms: Eirini Charalambidou, Eleni Mavrou, Stella Kyriakidou, and Rina Katseli.
1236 polling stations for 2021.
▸ Five Members of Parliament have been elected under three different parties (or as independents). Among them, two later served as Presidents of the Republic (Glafcos Clerides and Tassos Papadopoulos).
▸ Similarly, Glafcos Clerides and Demetris Syllouris were elected as Presidents of the House of Representatives.
▸ Twenty-two individuals were elected under two different political formations.
▸ Except for Androulla Vasiliou, all 26 individuals who were elected under more than one party were men.
▸ The number of polling stations per district has shown slight fluctuations since 2001 and has always exceeded 1,200.
▸ Nicosia district has consistently had the most, with a peak of 424 in 2011.
▸ Kerynia district has consistently had the fewest, with a minimum of 83 in the 2006, 2016, and 2021 elections.
191k or 34% abstained in 2021’s elections.
▸ The electorate has grown from 309k in 1981 to 558k in 2021 (+81%).
▸ Over the same period, abstention has steadily risen, peaking in 2021 when only 66% of voters participated.
▸ Notably, the rise in abstention predates the change to voluntary voting in 2017.
▸ The highest number of counted votes was recorded in 2006 at 446k. Since then, despite electorate growth, participation has declined.
▸ Representation is the percentage of voters who exercised their right to vote and whose vote is translated into parliamentary representation, i.e. seats in the House of Representatives. In other words, it is the share of valid votes allocated to parties or independent candidates who ultimately elect Members of Parliament. If a party or independent candidate does not pass the electoral threshold, their votes are not represented in Parliament.
▸ From 1981 until 2016, representation consistently exceeded 90%.
▸ In 2021, in addition to the record-high abstention rate, approximately 14.5% of votes went to parties or independent candidates that ultimately did not secure parliamentary representation. It is worth noting that 15 political formations participated in the 2021 elections, of which only 7 elected an MP. Furthermore, none of the 7 independent candidates achieved representation in Parliament.
