Volt elects new co-chairs following electoral defeat

Pieros Karoullas and Lysia Demetriou were elected co-chairs of Volt on Saturday. The pair defeated economist Ioannis Tirkides and Natasa Ioannou, who previously stood for Kyrenia in May’s parliamentary elections. Rodoula Demetriadou was elected female vice-chair unopposed, while Alexandros Apostolides beat Frixos Vryonides for the male vice-chair post, as party rules require one man and one woman in each pair of posts. Outgoing co-chairs Andromache Sophocleous and Panos Parras had announced earlier that they would not stand again. The new leadership must rebuild the party at grassroots level, as internal discussion has identified its “organisational structure” as the biggest weakness, and party sources say Volt lacked the organised machinery of the traditional parties in the final stretch of the campaign. The roughly 700 members were also due to vote for the remaining 21 members of the political council, which will then elect five members of the executive bureau. The leadership will decide how Volt approaches the 2028 presidential election, with party sources saying it will first set out criteria a candidate must meet, then consult possible candidates before reaching a final decision. In May’s parliamentary elections the party polled 3.1 per cent, or 11,487 votes, short of the threshold for entering the House, despite opinion polls projecting the party to attain two or three seats. On the Cyprus problem, Volt supports a bizonal, bicommunal federation, and has criticised efforts to “demonise” a settlement before talks begin. Its other priorities include modernising the economy and combating corruption.