Cyprus parliament sees record number of female MPs, but gender balance has still not been achieved

Following the parliamentary elections in Cyprus, a historic increase in female representation has been recorded: 11 women MPs have entered the new parliament. This is the first time their number has exceeded the 10-member mark. However, despite the progress, the share of women still remains below 20% of the total parliament.

Of the previous composition, in which eight women MPs served, six managed to retain their seats. Among them are Annita Demetriou (DISY), Fotini Tsiridou, Marina Nicolaou, Savvia Orphanidou, Christiana Erotokritou and Irini Charalambidou.

The new female faces in parliament represent different political forces. From AKEL, Argentoula Ioannou and Anastasia Hasiqou entered parliament; from the ALMA movement, Theodoulitsa Drousiotou; and from “Direct Democracy,” Dayana Constantinidi. For the first time in history, a woman also won the parliamentary seat in the Paphos district — Nicoleta Konstantinou of DISY.

Savvia Orphanidou received the highest number of votes among the women, winning 11,367 preferences in Nicosia. She is followed by Fotini Tsiridou with 6,956 votes and Irini Charalambidou with 5,938 votes. Christiana Erotokritou also posted a strong result with 5,844 votes.

In the other cases, the results also show notable voter support: Marina Nicolaou received 4,294 votes, Argentoula Ioannou — 3,803, Nicoleta Konstantinou — 3,608, Anastasia Hasiqou — 2,240, Dayana Constantinidi — 1,657, and Theodoulitsa Drousiotou — 511 votes.

Experts note that the rise in the number of women in parliament reflects a gradual change in political culture, but gender balance in Cyprus is still far from equal representation.