COMMUNIST AKEL are poised to defend their title as the top party in the land, according to the latest poll commissioned by state broadcaster CyBC.
Conducted by pollsters Symmetron and Public Issue between April 26 and May 7, the survey sampled 1,400 answers from across the island. It found that AKEL had the support of 29 per cent of the electorate, with DISY coming in second at 27.6 per cent. Ruling DIKO garnered 16.7 per cent, and socialist EDEK came in fourth with 4.5 per cent.
Perhaps more tellingly, the majority of respondents forecast that AKEL would win in the elections. Victory predictions are rarely wrong in Cyprus.
A significant 53 per cent believed the communist party would win by a small margin, and six per cent by a landslide.
The corresponding figures for DISY were much lower, with just 16 per cent confident the party would come first by a small margin, and a mere two per cent by a landslide.
Based on the numbers, both AKEL and DISY would receive 18 seats each in the new parliament.
Undecided voters amounted to 7.1 per cent, but the total amount of abstentions in the upcoming legislative elections is expected to be much higher.
Most of the undecided came from the ranks of AKEL (21 per cent) and DISY (19 per cent). Significantly, 19 per cent of newly registered voters were unsure about whom to back.
Apathy also seemed to be highest among AKEL supporters, with 26 per cent saying they were seriously considering not casting their ballot on Election Day. They were followed by the DISY and DIKO faithful (12 per cent each).
Right-wing DISY seemed to be the most popular among first-time voters (34 per cent), with AKEL in second place at 29 per cent.
Given that the main issue of the elections is the Cyprus problem, the poll tried to gauge the public’s sentiments towards the Annan plan and the referendum of April 2004. Among the DISY faithful, 92 per cent of those who voted ‘yes’ in the referendum said they would back their party this May, while 65 per cent of ‘no’ voters would back DISY now.
As far as AKEL was concerned, 86 per cent of those who voted ‘no’ remained faithful to their party, while 73 per cent of those who voted ‘yes’ would be casting their vote for AKEL.
Being the first parliamentary elections since the Annan referendum that bitterly divided the nation, the outcome of May 21 will confirm or disprove analysts’ expectations of major voter shifts.
The last legislative elections five years ago were close, with AKEL garnering 34.7 per cent of the votes and 20 seats in the House, edging out DISY who got 34 per cent and 19 seats. The Democratic Party (DIKO) came in third, with 14.8 per cent and nine seats.
