Former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides, who was removed from office by a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling last September, on Monday launched his new political party, named ‘Alma’ – Greek for ‘leap’.

The party was launched at Michaelides’ office in Nicosia, with the party’s name also an acronym for the Greek words for dignity, accountability, reform and development.

Michaelides was joined at the launch by eight of his associates, including former rector of the University of Cyprus Constantinos Christofides, who ran for president in 2023 and came in sixth place, winning just shy of 1.6 per cent of the vote.

Addressing the gathered media, Michaelides said Cyprus “needs a restart here and now”, and that “the existing political system, as It has been evolutionarily distorted, constitutes a handbrake on the country’s progress”.

“We seek a Cyprus different from the one which disappoints us. An effective state with strategic targeting and reliable institutions. A state which will be founded with the public benefit in mind and which will be able to practically promote the economy’s human-centred development, ensuring that all live with dignity, prosperity, equality and respect for their rights and their expectations,” he said.

He also touched on the Cyprus problem, saying that “the state and society we cherish cannot be built on a divided homeland, of which 37 per cent of the territory remains under Turkish occupation”.

“In the critical days which the entire planet is going through, with the questioning of the rules of international law and the inviolability of state borders, we recognise the risks not only of entrenching but also of legitimising partition,” he said.

“The Republic of Cyprus, beyond strengthening its diplomatic position and the continuous demand for an end to the occupation, must proceed on the basis of a federal solution as described in United Nations resolutions, provided that this solution will be sustainable, functional and fully in line with the acquis Communautaire.”

He added that a solution to the Cyprus problem must “ensure the unity of the people and territories and the functionality of the economy”.

“It is of utmost importance that Cyprus become a secure and functional state, free from invasive third-party rights of any kind and for any reason. The federal Cyprus must be a continuation of the Republic of Cyprus – a state with a single sovereignty, one international personality, and one citizenship, where legal residents will live in conditions of security, prosperity, and equality,” he said.

Michaelides was appointed by then president Nicos Anastasiades as auditor-general in 2014, and was relieved of his duties  by the Supreme Constitutional in September last year, with an eight-judge panel unanimously ruling that he had conducted himself inappropriately, and that he was thus unfit to carry out the office’s duties.

The court’s verdict was 209 pages long and scathing, with Michaelides having been found to have repeatedly sought to undermine attorney-general George Savvides’ legal opinions, often writing his own interpretations which contradicted those of Savvides.

It was written in the decision that Michaelides “did not limit himself to the role of the whistleblower to the independent anti-corruption authority but reserved for himself the role of a judge after proceeding to draw conclusions on his statements and submissions.”

Additionally, the court referred to “obscene content” which occurred on a social media page dedicated to supporting Michaelides, saying that although the page did not belong to Michaelides, “it bore his name and photograph.”

Michaelides himself had said the decision “essentially abolishes the audit service and democracy”, adding that it “puts a corset, a gag, on the audit office.”

“It is a black day for Cyprus and a black day for our service,” he said.

Savvides had in turn warned those decrying the decision to read it before passing judgement.

“A court order has been issued and I just want to emphasise that it is important to support the [Republic’s] institutions, and to show the required respect to the Supreme Constitutional Court. Woe betide us if we lose faith in the courts,” he said.

In the intervening eight months, speculation has arisen regarding Michaelides’ political ambitions, with the opening of an office with a view of the presidential palace in Nicosia seen by some as a move symbolic of his future political ambitions.