Disy leader Annita Demetriou said the electorate “chose security and stability” as she hailed her party’s amassing of 17 seats at Sunday’s parliamentary election.

The party had been forecast to lose both votes and seats ahead of the election, but instead maintained the count it had won five years ago.

“We fought an electoral battle in an unprecedented toxic environment and the people chose security and stability. A big thank you from the bottom of our hearts is in order for responding to our call, for trusting us again as the country’s first-place political force, with the most seats in parliament,” she said at the party’s headquarters on Nicosia’s Pindarou Street.

She added that this result “only means responsibility”, and that while she and her party are “satisfied with this positive result”, it will “continue with the hard work … starting tomorrow”.

“We will continue to listen to your anxieties and concerns. The mandate we received is to lead the new parliament with consensus, for reforms and policies which will bring results for development and social protection, because our common mission is to take this country forward – responsibly forward,” she said.

Demetriou served as House president in the last parliament, and will likely be a candidate for the role again when the new parliament convenes to elect its president next month.

However, attracting the support of her peers may prove more difficult than it did five years ago, with Elam leader Christos Christou having said it would be “very difficult” for his party to endorse her candidacy for a second time, as it did then.