On the night of Holy Saturday, the far-right ELAM party’s candidate for the European Parliament, Geadis Geadi, carried the Holy Fire to Makario Hospital.
Lining up on either side of him were men performing Nazi salutes while wearing helmets, attempting to portray themselves as mere motorcyclists assisting Geadi in delivering the Easter light to the patients hospitalised there.
Of course, these patients (women and children) were not asked whether they desired such a visit. They were used as extras in a performance staged by ELAM, seemingly with the blessing of the hospital administration, as entry to the hospital is controlled and unauthorised access is restricted.
While ELAM stealthily infiltrates the cracks and gates of democracy with minimal effort and a low-profile campaign strategy, DIKO, sensing a shift in its position on the electoral map, resurrects Makarios. “Greek Cypriot people! The voice you hear is familiar. I am Makarios,” a social media post declared. Initially, it was perceived as a prank.
Someone must have hacked the party’s account and posted the photo of the ethnarch, who died 47 years ago, alongside words he spoke half a century ago when the leader of DIKO was still a child. But no, it wasn’t a prank.
The party defended the post, stating, “We honour our History. We are proud of the support of Ethnarch Makarios, who led our people’s struggle for liberation and laid the foundations for Democracy in our country. His historical imprint is a timeless beacon for our struggles for national vindication and social justice.”
This is DIKO’s response to ELAM’s surge in popularity. ‘Makis,’ that desperate voter who tried unsuccessfully to reach President Anastasiades on the phone and then switched to DIKO for a direct line to the presidential palace, seems to have transferred his allegiance once more.
And DIKO, with its campaign slogan “With you at the centre,” invokes the spirit of Makarios for assistance. But this is 2024. Cyprus’ issues remain unresolved. There are homeless people, individuals struggling to make ends meet, a complex immigration situation, incidents of violence even in primary schools, uncontrolled factions ruling everything, and countless other problems.
Yet, the once third-largest party in Cyprus pins its hopes on a deceased ethnarch from half a century ago.
Voters—Makis, Takis, Maria, and Yiota—are expected to entrust their hopes to Makarios once more, as we did in 1974, even though our hopes were dashed, and we are still here, believing that someday, somehow, things will turn in our favour again.
