CYPRIOTS are political animals but sofa voters, critical thinkers yet reluctant to switch sides, all wrapped into one.
These were the tentative conclusions gleaned from a nationwide poll commissioned by state broadcaster CyBC. The survey, conducted with house-to-house calls, polled 1,200 persons aged over 18 to gauge voter mindsets ahead of the May 21 legislative elections.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents – 23 per cent – said they would cast their vote based on developments on the Cyprus problem, with just 14 per cent considering domestic affairs as the foremost criterion.
Meanwhile 60 per cent – a relatively high figure – said they decided whom to vote for “well in advance” of the elections, with just 17 per cent making their minds up “a few weeks before.”
Still, last-minute voters accounted for 12 per cent, and in total those described as undecided were 22 per cent, suggesting a highly volatile election battle.
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.
Nevertheless, the poll showed that party loyalties die hard: a whopping 93 per cent of self-declared AKEL supporters were reasonably certain they would vote the same way, the corresponding figure for the DISY faithful being 87 per cent.
Significantly, 55 per cent predicted communist AKEL would secure the most votes, with just 19 per cent confident that DISY would come out on top.
Moreover, 34 per cent would back a certain deputy based on the party he/she belonged to, while just 27 per cent were interested in the candidate per se.
At the same time, though, 23 per cent said they would be rooting for the “lesser evil”, indicating a high disapproval vote among the electorate. This was most pronounced among the Greens, where 70 per cent of the party’s supporters said they were backing the party because they were unsatisfied with other options.
Despite this apparent disenchantment, the rate of abstentions was relatively low.
The survey also found that most people “participated” in the election campaign by watching debates and political shows on TV, while a mere five per cent attended election gatherings.
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.
The latest CyBC poll, shown last night on TV, showed the communist party receiving little over 33 per cent of the popular vote and DISY hovering around the 31 per cent mark. That translated into 19 and 18 seats, respectively.
