Annita Demetriou has been re-elected as President of the House of Representatives for a second term, beating AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou 29 votes to 19 in the second round of voting at the first plenary session of the new parliament on Thursday.
Demetriou secured her winning margin with 17 votes from DISY, eight from DIKO, and four from Direct Democracy Cyprus. ELAM abstained in the second round.
The first round saw four candidates in contention. Demetriou led with 21 votes, followed by Stefanou with 19. DIKO leader Nikolas Papadopoulos and ELAM leader Christos Christou each received eight votes, eliminating both from the second round.
The session opened at 4pm, presided over by the eldest MP, Zacharias Koulias of DIKO, before 56 newly elected MPs were sworn in ahead of the vote. It was the first Speaker election conducted under a revised voting framework approved by the outgoing House, and the first to use electronic voting.
Speaking after her election, Demetriou thanked those who supported her and pledged to serve as she had in her first term. “We represent all citizens — those who voted for us and those who did not,” she said.
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