Leader of far-right ELAM Christos Christou whose party almost doubled its showing in Sunday’s parliamentary election compared to the 2016 poll on Tuesday announced his candidacy as House Speaker.
ELAM, an anti-migrant nationalist party that wants to ban the burka and the niqab, got 6.8% of the vote, placing it fourth in voter preferences.
Christou is the first official runner for the high-profile post.
“We thank the 24,255 citizens who trusted us with their vote and allow ELAM to demand to play a stronger role in society,” Christou said in a written statement.
Links between Cyprus’ ELAM and Greece’s Golden Dawn have been well documented in the past.
Golden Dawn was outlawed as a criminal organization by a Greek court in October 2020 and leading members jailed.
ELAM also rejects a long-standing objective to reunite Cyprus along the lines of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.
