**Title: Alma and Direct Democracy to Receive €320k Each and Police Protection**
On Tuesday, the Cypriot Parliament took significant steps to support the newly established political parties, Alma and Direct Democracy, by advancing plans to allocate approximately €640,000 in state funding and provide police escorts for their leaders. Each party is set to receive around €320,000 as part of a mechanism designed to assist newly elected parliamentary parties in managing their operational costs.
The funding arrangement allows parties that gain parliamentary representation to request an early payment of a portion of their annual state subsidy, based on their electoral performance. This advance payment will later be deducted from their future allocations. Alma's leader, Odysseas Michaelides, has formally requested this advance, and a similar request from Direct Democracy's leader, Fidias Panayiotou, is anticipated.
Parliamentary accounting services are already in motion to process these payments according to the established statutory framework. The total state subsidy allocated for political parties in 2026 was set at €7 million, distributed earlier this year. The new advance mechanism aims to support the operational costs of parties entering parliament between electoral cycles, with funds primarily directed towards staffing and establishing party offices across the nation in preparation for future elections, including the upcoming presidential election in 2028.
Under the current legal provisions, parties transitioning to parliamentary status can request funding for the period following their election until the year's end. This advance will subsequently be recouped through five equal annual deductions from future entitlements. Parliamentary officials have confirmed that the implementation of this mechanism adheres to established budgetary procedures and fiscal responsibility rules governing political financing.
In addition to the financial support, a parallel process is underway concerning the security arrangements for the leaders of both parties. The police are currently evaluating the necessity of assigning police protection to each leader, which would include officers serving as drivers. This practice has been previously extended to various party leaders and state officials.
The assessment of security needs is being conducted through a security committee process, which reviews the protection levels for political figures and makes recommendations to the police leadership and the justice ministry. The final approval for any security arrangements will be granted by the cabinet. The committee, chaired by Deputy Police Chief Panikos Stavrou, is tasked with ensuring that the security measures align with the current threat landscape.
Each leader of Alma and Direct Democracy is expected to be assigned two police officers, who will also function as their drivers. In the case of Fidias Panayiotou, considerations will be made for his periods spent abroad in his capacity as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) when determining the deployment of personnel.
The security arrangements for political leaders have been a topic of ongoing review, particularly in light of an audit office report that raised concerns about the correlation between the level of protection provided and the electoral strength of the leaders, rather than specific threat assessments. Currently, leaders of the larger political parties tend to receive the highest levels of protection, with the number of assigned officers reflecting their parliamentary representation.
As Alma and Direct Democracy prepare to establish their presence in the Cypriot political landscape, the allocation of state funding and the provision of police escorts signify a commitment to support new voices within the parliament. The actions taken by the parliament are expected to bolster the operational capabilities of these parties as they gear up for future electoral contests.