DISY Leads in South Cyprus as 53% of Public Struggles to Make Ends Meet

The poll, conducted by MRC Cypronetwork between January 12 and 27 among 1,213 respondents on behalf of RIK, was reported by Politis and Alithia. It indicates that ELAM remains the third-largest party after DISY and AKEL.

DISY maintained its support at 17%, the same level recorded in November 2025. AKEL’s support declined slightly from 17% to 16%, while ELAM’s backing fell marginally from 11.5% to 11%, allowing it to retain third place.

ALMA, which had received 6.5% support in the previous poll, rose to 9%. “Amesi Dimokratia” (Direct Democracy) increased its support from 4.5% to 6.5%. DIKO stood at 6%, EDEK at 2.5%, the Ecologists at 2.5%, Volt at 2%, the Animal Party at 1.5%, the Democratic Front at 1%, and the Hunters Party at 1%.

The survey also showed that 9% of respondents were undecided, 5.5% said they would not vote, 4% intended to cast invalid ballots and 5% declined to answer, indicating significant uncertainty in voter preferences.

Erhürman and Holguin Surveyed, Christodoulides Not Included

Alithia headlined its report, “RIK’s Political Culture and Voter Behaviour Survey… They Measured Holguin and Erhürman but Not Christodoulides,” drawing attention to the fact that while the popularity of UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman was measured, no assessment was made of Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides or his government.

The newspaper noted that no question was asked about the controversial video involving allegations of bribery linked to Christodoulides’ wife, which has been on the public agenda in South Cyprus. Instead, the survey focused more on foreign policy issues. It also reported that levels of anger and embarrassment among the public had increased.

The popularity rating of Tufan Erhürman and Maria Angela Holguin among the Greek Cypriot public was recorded at 23%.

Views on Regional Cooperation

Regarding trilateral cooperation between South Cyprus, Greece and Israel, 71% of respondents said it was “beneficial for national interests,” while 14% said it was “not beneficial” and 6% did not answer.

On the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between South Cyprus and Lebanon, 68% expressed a positive view, 11% a negative view and 21% gave no response.

On the electricity interconnection project between South Cyprus and Greece via undersea cable, 48% described it as “sustainable,” while 32% said it was “not sustainable” and 20% offered no opinion.

53% Say They Cannot Make Ends Meet

Politis highlighted the economic findings under the headline “According to RIK’s Poll, Half the Population Is Struggling to Cope.”

The newspaper reported that the public is facing serious difficulties under current economic conditions. Only 15% of respondents said they were living comfortably, while 31% said they were “managing to cope.” By contrast, 39% said they were struggling financially and 14% said they were facing great difficulty in making ends meet.

When asked about the country’s current situation, 31% said they felt disappointed, 18% said they felt anger or outrage, and 10% said they felt ashamed of the present state of affairs.