Dipa claims exclusion from polls ahead of elections

The Dipa (Democratic Alignment) party claimed on Thursday that they are being left out of opinion polls, skewing the surveys published ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Loizos Constantinou, advisor to Dipa boss Marios Garoyian, was citing anecdotal evidence from people participating in polls.

He said a number of individuals have complained that, when being interviewed in phone surveys, the Dipa party does not feature among the options given.

This was “inconceivable”, he said, adding that if they obtain hard evidence about such practices, they will lodge a formal complaint to authorities.

Dipa does not seek preferential treatment, Constantinou noted. What they want is a fair, objective and scientific record of public opinion.

Pollsters should do their job properly, he stressed.

Asked about possible motives, Constantinou suggested that sometimes polls go beyond their task, which is to simply to register a snapshot of public sentiment, and instead try to influence opinion.

Often, he said, some quarters try to push the message among the public that voting for the smaller parties amounts to “a lost vote”.

Regardless, Constantinou said the Dipa party feels confident it will do well in the parliamentary elections taking place in May.

Historically, the party does better in elections than what’s reflected in the polls.

On the upcoming elections, Constantinou said the political milieu is “fluid” – primarily due to the large percentage of undecided voters.

A centrist political party, Dipa was established in 2018, after a split with the Democratic Party (Diko).

In the last legislative elections of 2021, Dipa got 6.10 per cent of the votes cast, earning four seats in parliament.