Disy leader Annita Demetriou called on voters to support “responsibility and stability” after casting her ballot on Sunday in Troulloi, as former president Nicos Anastasiades warned that political fragmentation could undermine consensus in the next House.
Demetriou arrived at Troulloi primary school accompanied by relatives and friends before voting during the nationwide parliamentary elections.
Speaking after leaving the polling station, Demetriou urged the public to participate in the electoral process and said “at the end of the day, citizens decide and will do their duty for today and tomorrow.”
She said the country faced “a difficult time” and stressed the importance of stability and responsibility in the composition of the new parliament.
Demetriou also wished all candidates “good luck” and said she hoped the next parliament would be capable of meeting what she described as the “difficult responsibilities of legislative office.”
Asked whether she used the ‘Digital Citizen’ application to vote, Demetriou remarked that she herself she had deferred the traditional voting process instead.
On the matter of voting in her hometown of Troulli, she remarked that she was ” particularly proud” on the occasion.
“I started the morning with the usual church service and then of course went to my grandmother with my mother to receive the blessing. My husband, sister, father, brother are here, the whole community is behind me.” she said.
“It’s in these moments that you really remember how you started and those people who were by your side from the beginning, it’s really very encouraging”, she remarked.
“You must never forget where you started from and with God’s help, I truly hope that everything goes well.”
Earlier on Sunday morning, former president Nicos Anastasiades cast his vote at the Laniteio lyceum in Limassol, accompanied by members of his family as well as party officials and parliamentary candidates.
Anastasiades described election day as “a day of celebration”.
He urged political parties to prioritise cooperation and consensus after the elections, saying the country needed “parties that can reach an agreement” and “care about the good of the homeland and not self-promotion.”
Referring to the large number of parties and candidates contesting the elections, Anastasiades warned that excessive political fragmentation could create instability.
“Inflation is not always to the benefit of the economy,” he said. “Inflation always causes instability.”
Anastasiades had previously cautioned earlier this week that a pluralistic House could result in a “parliament of Babel”, referring to the ill-fated Tower of Babel from the Book of Genesis.
He added that while every political movement had the democratic right to seek public support, the next parliament would need to function collectively in the national interest.
“The country needs stability,” Anastasiades stressed.
“Whether we like it or not, this is what is at stake.”
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