By Hakan Karahasan

Just as elsewhere in the world, not a day goes by in Cyprus without far-right populism making its presence felt. The most recent ‘development’ took place during the organisation of the Cyprus Forum 2026. To describe the situation as an organisational failure may not be harsh enough; it would surely not be an exaggeration to call it a scandal.

What has happened? Having emerged as the third-largest party in Cyprus’ House of Representatives following the last elections, Elam has begun to exert a noticeable influence across every aspect of day-to-day politics.

Bolstered by the confidence that comes with rising to a decisive position on many issues, from education to the economy, it has begun to take significant steps towards interventions that might previously have been considered radical, and towards becoming the standard-bearer for such interventions. The cancellation of a music event planned for this summer in Kyrenia – following Elam’s efforts to bring the event to the public’s attention (as Elam claims) – through the intervention of the Cyprus government has instilled a profound sense of self-confidence in the party, enabling it to raise the bar even higher.

The events of the past few days surrounding the organisation of Cyprus Forum 2026 are a clear indication of this. According to press reports, Mehmet Harmanci, mayor of the Nicosia Turkish municipality, was invited to Cyprus Forum 2026 in that capacity. Following an objection from Elam, organisers took a step towards changing Harmanci’s status, but Harmanci rejected this.

Why did the Cyprus Forum organisers choose to side with the objector, rather than rejecting such an objection – directed at an office recognised as legitimate even by the Republic of Cyprus? They should have said that the Nicosia Turkish Municipality is an institution that has been legitimate since the era of the Republic of Cyprus, so there is no basis for such an objection.

Charalambos Prountzos, mayor of Nicosia, announced his withdrawal from the Forum in a show of support for Harmanci. Subsequently, the movement gained momentum, with a significant proportion of Greek and Turkish Cypriots organisations publicly announcing they were following suit. The Cyprus Forum’s statement, however, goes no further than attempting to avoid reflecting on the implications of their actions, rather than recognising the gravity of the situation.

One of the points that must be emphasised is that, while on the one hand, the far right’s takeover of the everyday language and politics of Cypriot politics is a cause for serious concern, on the other, the solidarity shown by sensible Cypriots demonstrates that there is still hope. Nicosia mayor Prountzos and many Greek Cypriots have shown solidarity with Turkish Cypriots on this issue. Viewed from this perspective, the extent to which today’s ‘victory’ is actually a victory is open to debate. We must stand firm and resolute against fascism.

The issue is not whether the Forum will continue in some form or not. In these and similar events – whether past or future – it is becoming clear that the matter is no longer merely about a political party’s objection and whether that objection is considered, but rather about how a particular group has managed to exert such an influence over Cypriot politics. This is especially so if the request came from the government. If the people and organisations working to ensure that communities in Cyprus can live together harmoniously do not mount a serious, united response, we may find ourselves in a situation where it is too late to act, just as we did in the recent past.

Hakan Karahasan is a Turkish Cypriot academic