Annita Demetriou has been elected president of the Cypriot parliament, securing 29 votes in the second round of Thursday's vote. AKEL secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou received 19 votes, while eight members of parliament abstained.
Demetriou, who also held the speakership in the previous parliament, reclaims the position following DISY's strong performance in the recent parliamentary elections, which gave the party 17 seats and made her the frontrunner throughout the day's negotiations. Her election was secured with support beyond her own party's ranks, reflecting the alignment that emerged from last-minute consultations between DISY and Direct Democracy.
Stefanou had entered the second round as the candidate of AKEL, backed by the party's 15 MPs and the four MPs of the ALMA movement, giving him a guaranteed base of 19 votes. His total in the final round matched that starting figure exactly.
The eight abstentions came from ELAM, who had proclaimed no support for AKEL and DISY.
'The Speakership Belongs to the Citizens': Demetriou Sets Out Three Priorities for New Term
Annita Demetriou pledged transparency, institutional responsibility and a more open parliament in her first address after being re-elected president of the House of Representatives on Thursday, setting out the priorities that will define the new parliamentary term.
Thanking the House for renewing its confidence in her, Demetriou described the honour as inseparable from the weight of responsibility it carries. She said she would continue to exercise her duties in strict adherence to the Constitution, the laws and the Rules of Procedure of the House, ensuring the equal participation of all members in parliamentary work. "The speakership is an institution. It belongs to the Republic. It belongs to the citizens," she said, adding that she would serve the office with equal treatment, objectivity and respect for differing views. She also singled out DISY for its support, noting that the party emerged from the recent elections more united and stronger than before.
A review of the previous term
Demetriou pointed to a series of achievements during her first term, including significant changes to procedures, infrastructure and digital tools, and a strengthening of transparency, outreach and citizen participation. She said the House had opened itself more to society, to young people, to schoolchildren and students, and to civil society organisations, while parliamentary diplomacy had been given greater emphasis and the Cyprus problem had been raised more consistently in international forums. She thanked the administrative staff of the House for their professional and dedicated work in delivering those reforms.
Demetriou presented the strategy for the coming years, built around three axes. The first is the further upgrading of the institution itself, its infrastructure and its procedures. The second is building a parliament that is more open to citizens, with greater transparency, participation and interaction. The third is strengthening the international role of the House as an institution that projects Cyprus abroad and supports efforts toward a just resolution of the Cyprus problem.
'Citizens worry about real problems'
Demetriou addressed the growing distance between citizens and institutions directly, warning that the greatest danger to democracy is for the House to be perceived as a closed institution, cut off from society. "Too often the impression is created that politicians are preoccupied with their own pursuits, while citizens worry about real problems such as the cost of living, housing, energy costs, pensions, health, education and security," she said. She called on members of parliament to be closer to society, to listen to the concerns of citizens and to explain the work being done, and asked for a reduction in the sterile confrontations and conflicts that damage the reputation of the institution.
Looking ahead to the challenges of the new term, Demetriou said the House will be called upon to deal with critical issues including pension reform, the green and digital transition, economic resilience, public administration reform, justice, the reduction of bureaucracy, and the strengthening of transparency and accountability. She stressed that the foremost national priority remains the end of the occupation and the liberation and reunification of Cyprus, and that the House must continue to be a steady voice of principle, justice and European perspective for the country. She closed by calling on all political forces to work with mutual respect and a spirit of cooperation, so that the credibility of institutions is strengthened and the challenges facing the country are met effectively.
