By Michele Kambas
NICOSIA, May 24 (Reuters) – Cyprus’s far right appeared set for gains in Sunday’s election while an anti-corruption newcomer looked set to enter parliament, according to exit polls that showed weaker support for centrist parties backing President Nikos Christodoulides.
Opinion polls released by TV networks when voting ended at 1500 GMT showed far-right ELAM, an offshoot of Greece’s banned Golden Dawn party, with 10-12.5% of the vote, up from 6.8% in the last legislative elections in 2021.
If the polling trend holds, it could become the third-largest party in the 56-seat parliament behind right-wing DISY and Communist AKEL parties.
While executive power rests with the presidency in Cyprus, the vote is widely seen as a gauge of political trends ahead of the 2028 presidential election and could flag the new alliances centrist Christodoulides may need to make if he wants to be re-elected.
Three centrist parties backing Christodoulides — Diko, Dipa and EDEK — appeared headed for a weaker result, according to the projections.
Corruption and cost of living concerns were prominent in the campaign.
ELAM campaigned against migration and also holds a hard line in negotiations with Turkish Cypriots on the ethnically-split island. ALMA, a newly formed movement campaigning on accountability and political reform, was set to secure parliamentary representation for the first time.
(Writing by Michele Kambas;Editing by Helen Popper and Christina Fincher)
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