Exit polls: Far-right party gains in Cyprus parliament vote

Exit polls in Cyprus' parliamentary election show that the far-right ELAM party appears to have almost doubled its support

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- The far-right ELAM party appears to have almost doubled its support in Cyprus' parliamentary election, exit polls showed Sunday. Results from five separate exit polls released by four private TV stations and state broadcaster CyBC immediately after voting ended showed the two largest parties — the center-right DISY and the communist-rooted AKEL — to be leading the election in first and second place respectively. But all five showed ELAM in a battle with center-left party EDEK for fourth spot, with the far-right party making significant gains from its surprise showing in 2016 when it finished in eighth place with 3.7% of the vote. In its own exit poll, the CyBC showed support for ELAM to hover between 5-7%. An exit poll by private TV station OMEGA showed ELAM to have garnered 6.5-9.5% of the vote.