The results of the upcoming parliamentary elections on 24 May, may potentially trigger a wave of by-elections from September, as a current independent Member of the European Parliament, as well as various local government officials, are running as candidates, the Chief Returning Officer Menelaos Vassiliou has said.
There are many scenarios, including the possibility of a nationwide electoral process for the position of Member of the European Parliament, as well as elections at the municipal or municipal district level, in the event that a current Mayor or Deputy Mayor is elected to Parliament. As Vassiliou explained in statements to the Cyprus News Agency, these cases require an electoral process, since their election was not through a party list that would allow the seat to pass to the first runner-up.
There is also a possibility that elections may be required if an independent municipal councilor, community leader, or member of a community council is elected. These cases are rarer, he noted, as officials in these positions usually run as part of a party list, and therefore a runner-up would most likely exist.
Independent MEP, Fidias Panayiotou, has expressed his intention to run as a candidate with the newly established party of Direct Democracy, which he leads. If elected, he will have two options.
The first would be to retain his seat as an MEP and not accept the parliamentary seat. In this case, the parliamentary seat would pass to the first runner-up of the party, and no election would be required.
The second option for Panayiotou would be to retain the parliamentary seat and resign from the European Parliament. Since he ran in the European elections as an independent candidate, there is no runner-up for his seat. In this case, “a by-election is required to fill the vacancy,” Vassiliou said.
In this event, the elections would be held nationwide and will have a total cost of €5.5-6 million, Chief Returning Officer noted.
Moreover, as Vassiliou explained, depending on the election results, the Central Elections Service may also need to conduct additional local electoral processes.
Due to the recent local government reform, Presidents of District Local Government Organisations (DLGO), Mayors, and Deputy Mayors are elected positions filled by individual candidates rather than party lists. Therefore, the election of current officeholders to Parliament would trigger local elections.
For a vacant position of DLGO President, elections must be held at the district level; for a Mayor, at the municipal level; and for a Deputy Mayor, at the municipal district level.
Additionally, there is a smaller possibility that elections may be required if a municipal councilor, community council member, or community leader’s seat becomes vacant, in cases where the elected official did not run as part of a party list and thus no runner-up exists.
As Vassiliou explained, according to a recent amendment to the relevant law, any electoral procedures that may arise will be held after mid-September.
(Source: CNA)
