Political parties in Cyprus have received €7 million in state money. This happened just before the European Parliament elections. The money was given on Friday. A legal problem that stopped the money from being given is now gone. The Attorney-General, George Savvides, gave an opinion. He said it would be very hard to prove past misuse of money.
This money is important for parties. They need it for campaigning. The amount each party gets is based on the 2021 elections. DISY will get the most money, €1.98 million. AKEL will receive €1.62 million. DIKO gets €890,000. ELAM, EDEK, DIPA, and the Ecologist Movement will also get money. Money is also for youth groups and for promoting Cyprus abroad.
This money release ends an eight-year argument. The argument was about €2.6 million of state money. People worried about how money was used in past elections. For example, €2.09 million from 2018 was used for daily costs. It was not used for its planned campaign use. A review of €577,511 from 2021 suggested this money should be given back to parties. This idea helped the Attorney-General's decision.
The Attorney-General’s opinion was given last week. It said it would be difficult to get back old funds. Therefore, the current money can now be given to parties. It is unlikely that legal action will be successful. Parliament has agreed to give the money. Parties can now plan their campaigns better. This will help them talk to voters.