Direct Democracy to charge €60-70 for membership, triple that of other parties

The Direct Democracy party plans to charge annual membership fees of €60 to €70, three or more times the €20 charged by Cyprus’ two largest parties, it announced on Tuesday. During an online party meeting, party leader Fidias Panayiotou said registrations will open soon and admitted that the fee will be higher than at most parties. The extra income, he said, would pay for member activities including events, trips, dinners and cruises. Applicants would also have to go through a personal interview with him before being accepted. The fee is far above the rest of the field, as Disy and Akel each charge €20 a year, Volt €24 and Diko, Dipa and Edek €10. Elam’s statutes set a fee of €1, while Alma has no compulsory fee and is exploring voluntary contributions through an online platform. Direct Democracy’s online office Panayiotou also said the movement is looking at changes to its constitution and internal procedures. He said the aim is to reshape decision making to better reflect “direct democracy” and increase members’ say. When the party was created, it said it would take decisions using its online platform Agora, which was recently fined by the data protection commission, and to confer with members on policies and upcoming votes. A large part of the meeting focused on a protest over electricity prices on October 17, which will begin at Eleftheria Square in Nicosia and end outside the presidential palace. Panayiotou stressed the need for a strong turnout and reportedly told supporters that only 100 participants would be a disappointment.