ELAM candidate sparks controversy over surveillance proposal

Phoivos Kyprianou, an ELAM candidate for the parliamentary elections, faced backlash after proposing a legislative framework to monitor and potentially ban political entities like AKEL, Volt, and MEP Fidias Panayiotou, citing them as threats to the constitution. Kyprianou claimed his proposed 'Independent Authority for the Protection of the Constitution' would target those threatening the survival of Hellenism in Cyprus. Following the public outcry, Kyprianou deleted the social media post. ELAM president Christos Christou distanced the party from these comments, labeling them as undemocratic and the candidate's personal opinion, while confirming that the party's disciplinary committee was investigating the matter. ELAM spokesperson Marios Pelekanos stated that the party disagrees with the proposal and emphasized the importance of democratic dialogue. Meanwhile, AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou strongly condemned the remarks and ruled out any future cooperation or dialogue with ELAM. AKEL and Volt accused ELAM of harboring authoritarian tendencies and fascist ideology. While legal experts note that parties cannot unilaterally force a candidate to withdraw from an election due to personal candidacy laws, ELAM's disciplinary procedures remain ongoing.