Journalist Makarios Drousiotis runs as MEP with Volt

Newly founded Volt Cyprus announced on Saturday its six candidates running for the upcoming European Parliament elections.

The ticket will include investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis, whose trilogy of books stirred a wave of controversy after his writings described Cyprus as a mafia state embroiled in corruption.

Also running for MEP is the party’s co-deputy chairperson, Andromachi Sophocleous. A political analyst and activist, Sophocleous has been a staunch pro-solution activist and member of Unite Cyprus Now.

Volt’s secretary-general and activist, Hulusi Kilim, with expertise in international trade.

Lysia Demetriou a clinical researcher; Nicolas Kyriakou, a lawyer working for the European Union; and Sophia Vassiliou, a research specialist, will be running for the MEP elections in June.

Though the party was officially launched in October, it has attracted a growing number of high-profile members, including MP Alexandra Attalides.

Voices on values

She left the Green Party citing the party’s “catastrophic” position on the Cyprus problem and its lack of unity with European green parties.

Drousiotis’ books are now the center of a corruption investigation against former President Nikos Anastasiades. His writings detail a raft of allegations ranging from bribery to deliberate attempts to thwart a solution to the Cyprus problem.

He claims his works led to state surveillance starting in 2018, using both eavesdropping techniques and spyware.

The investigation by the anti-corruption authority will be headed by Australian legal expert Gabrielle McIntyre, and aided by Charilaos Chrysanthou, Orestis Nikitas, and Andreas Efthymiou.

Anastasiades has demanded Drousiotis’ books be withdrawn, along with an apology and a request for damages.