An ODIHR report published in March warned that unregulated social media campaigning, gaps in campaign finance oversight and the absence of legal provisions for independent election observers were major concerns ahead of Cyprus’s parliamentary elections held on Sunday. The report, based on a December 2025 Needs Assessment Mission to Nicosia, recommended deployment of an Election Expert Team rather than a full observation mission; the two-person team met with state institutions, parties, media and civil society during the visit.

The report highlighted that online campaigning is entirely unregulated and that the Radio Television and Digital Services Authority, assigned new competences in July 2025, is severely under-resourced. It flagged campaign finance weaknesses—individual spending caps exist but no party-wide expenditure limit or interim reporting—and noted that only party and candidate representatives may observe voting and counting. The elections produced a fragmented parliament with six parties winning seats, and planned electoral reforms will not take effect until July 2027.