Big gains made by far-right party ELAM in the South Cyprus elections, again show that a federal solution to the Cyprus problem is longer realistic, President Ersin Tatar said, Daily Sabbah reported. Ultra-nationalist party ELAM has links to the now defunct Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn.
President Tatar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that nationalism and extremism have been on the rise in the south, and a federal solution is not likely in the prevailing political atmosphere.
After the final count, ELAM garnered 6.78% of the vote. Underlining the rapid rise in ELAM’s vote share, Tatar said: “ELAM and its supporters back the idea of Cyprus becoming a fully unitary state. We see the rise of a mentality that does not even deem the Turkish Cypriots worthy of their minority rights. Worse yet, ELAM gets more votes from younger people. The reason for this is the extreme nationalism in the education system that includes Greek admiration, the idea that Cyprus is a Greek island and admiration for EOKA“.
