The Election Service of the Interior Ministry is in the final stretch for the closing of the electoral roll as the deadline ends 2 April 2, ahead of the 24 May parliamentary elections.
The Head of the Service, Menelaos Vasileiou, has told the Cyprus News Agency that this is the last time this process is being carried out, as registration will be automatic for the next elections to be held on the island, namely the 2028 Presidential elections.
Vasileiou noted that, according to the law, all citizens aged 18 and over, who reach this age by the date of the elections, have the right to register. Those who are up to 25 years of age, can submit the application electronically through the elections website at elections.gov.cy.
It can also be submitted in hard copy at all district administration offices, at the Citizens Service Centers and the Citizens' Centers of the Cyprus Postal Services.
An interview is required for citizens who are over the age of 25, so that the authorities can make sure that the applicant has been a permanent resident of Cyprus for the previous six months.
He went on to say that the Ministry has sent around 13,500 letters to those who turned 18 on or after the date of the 2024 municipal elections, and to those who turn 18 by 24 May, which is the date of the parliamentary elections. The letter includes an application form and information to register on the electoral roll.
Campaigns have been running since February in collaboration with the Press and Information Office to encourage registration on the electoral roll. Additional campaigns will follow to encourage participation in the elections as well as to call on citizens who use wheelchairs to inform the Ministry so that provisions can be made to provide accessible centres.
The number Cypriots over 18 who have not registered is around 160,000, Vasileiou told the Cyprus News Agency. But he went on to explain that in order for someone to be eligible for registration, they must have had permanent residence in Cyprus for the last six months.
He clarified that students up to the age of 25 are considered to have their usual residence in Cyprus, following an opinion given by the Law Office of the Republic.
Therefore, he noted, the number of 160,000 certainly includes a few thousand Cypriots who permanently reside abroad and are not truly eligible to vote, but the authorities are not in a position to know the exact number.
Vasileiou also said that 2 April is also the deadline for someone to submit a request to vote at a polling station in a city abroad.
For the parliamentary elections, he explained that experience shows that in order to operate a polling station in a city abroad, around 600 applications of interest must be submitted.
Traditionally, polling stations for the parliamentary elections are set up in Athens, Thessaloniki and London and sometimes in Manchester and Patra.
For the first time, he said, the authorities will accept applications for Brussels because there is a large number of Cypriots who are currently residing there and working for the EU Cyprus Presidency.
In any case, he explained, those who declare to vote in a city that ultimately will not have a polling station, will receive information after 2 April via email in order to inform the authorities if they wish to cast their vote at another station or to have their names on the Cyprus electoral roll.
For the centres abroad, the interest can be submitted electronically through the elections website at elections.gov.cy but also in printed form at the local offices of the District Administrations as well as the Embassies and Consulates of the Republic abroad.
According to the schedule, the supplementary electoral roll of 2 April will be posted on the 6th of the same month and there will be a 10-day period for inspection and any objections.
Once finalised, it will be incorporated into the permanent electoral roll on the basis of which the 2026 parliamentary elections will be held. This will happen after 16 April.
Parliamentary elections for the 56 members of the House are held every five years.
(Source: CNA)
