A nail-biting parliamentary vote by a single margin has reopened the political and financial fault lines around the Greece–Cyprus electricity interconnection, leaving the government free to release millions while uncertainty over the project deepens.

The Cyprus House of Representatives was plunged into a last-minute parliamentary thriller on Thursday, as MPs were called to vote on an opposition amendment seeking to freeze state funds linked to the GSI.

The amendment, which aimed to block the disbursement of approximately €54 million from the Ministry of Finance, was rejected by the narrowest possible margin: 28 votes against and 27 in favour. The funds relate to two instalments of €25 million each, earmarked for 2025 and 2026, to be paid to ADMIE, the Greek transmission operator and implementing body of the project.

Backing the freeze were MPs from AKEL, EDEK, DIKO, DIPA and the Green Party, alongside DISY MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, DIKO MPs Zacharias Koulias and Christos Orphanides, and VOLT MP Alexandra Attalides.

Opposing the amendment were the majority of DISY and DIKO MPs, as well as independent MPs Andreas Apostolou and Michalis Giakoumis, tipping the balance and sealing the amendment’s defeat.

With the proposal rejected, the Ministry of Finance can now release the funds at its discretion, without requiring further parliamentary approval or oversight.

While the vote cleared a key procedural obstacle, it does not signal a substantive revival of the interconnection project.

The issue resurfaced amid heightened political tension following DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos’ warning in Parliament that government hesitation risks collapsing the project and triggering a serious rift with Athens. He cautioned that potential legal disputes and penalties could reach or even exceed €190 million, even if the cable is never completed.

The debate was reignited by Energy Minister Michalis Damianou, who announced that the government would soon examine the release of the first €25 million instalment, part of the €125 million commitment undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus.

Shortly afterwards, the razor-thin parliamentary vote effectively paved the way for payment.