Alma movement questions selective enforcement of electoral laws in Cyprus

The political movement Alma has formally challenged the police investigation into 27 individuals accused of making social media posts during the parliamentary elections. The group is demanding transparency regarding the selection process for these cases, questioning whether the same scrutiny was applied to all citizens equally.

Central to the controversy are public statements made by former President Nicos Anastasiades on election day. Alma has criticized the Law Office for failing to address these high-profile statements, noting a personal 40-year friendship between the head of the Law Office and the former president. The movement argues that the current legal framework is outdated and contradictory, as it permits organized phone-based canvassing by political party mechanisms while simultaneously criminalizing non-paid social media activity by private citizens.

Alma suggests that legislative reforms are necessary, comparing the situation to other democracies such as France, where election silence rules cover mass communication, and the United Kingdom, where specific campaign regulations differ. The organization continues to push for a review of how these investigations are conducted to ensure institutional impartiality.