Voter turnout in Cyprus’ 2026 Parliamentary Elections reached 32.3% by noon, compated to 26% by the same time during the 2021 elections.
The turnout had reached 12.8% countrywide by 10am, up by 2.5 percentage points compared with the 10.3% recorded at the same time during the 2021 parliamentary elections, Chief Returning Officer Elikkos Elia said on Sunday. Compared with the 2024 European Parliament’s elections, however, turnout was down by 1.1 percentage points.
PERCENTAGE OF VOTERS
| PARLIAMENTARY 2026 | PARLIAMENTARY 2021 | PRESIDENTIAL 2023 | MUNICIPAL 2024 | |
| NICOSIA | 36.1% | 23.4% | 37.0% | 36.5% |
| LIMASSOL | 26.5% | 25.1% | 30.4% | 30.4% |
| FAMAGUSTA | 33.7% | 31.7% | 34.0% | 39.8% |
| LARNACA | 33.2% | 27.9% | 33.0% | 35.2% |
| PAPHOS | 32.2% | 32.7% | 34.2% | 40.0% |
| ABROAD | 19.1% | 18.2% | 18.9% | 18.8% |
| NATIONWIDE | 32.3% | 26% | 33.7% | 30.3% |
Polling stations closed for a one hour break at noon, and will reopen at 1pm.
Elias said the electoral process for the election of members of the House of Representatives and the Representative of the Maronite Religious Group was proceeding smoothly, with complete order and calm at all polling stations.
By district, turnout in Nicosia stood at 14.5%, compared with 9.3% in the 2021 parliamentary elections, 13.1% in the 2023 presidential elections and 17.1% in the 2024 elections. In Limassol, turnout reached 10.8%, against 10.2% in 2021, 9.8% in 2023 and 13.3% in 2024. Famagusta recorded turnout of 14.3%, compared with 12.1% in 2021, 11.5% in 2023 and 20.1% in 2024, while Larnaca stood at 13.1%, versus 10.9%, 11.8% and 16.5% respectively. In Paphos, turnout reached 11.6%, compared with 12.5% in the 2021 parliamentary elections, 12.6% in the 2023 presidential elections and 18.2% in the 2024 elections. Overseas turnout stood at 4.2%, compared with 5.8% in 2021, 4.7% in 2023 and 5.2% in 2024.
The Chief Returning Officer also said polling stations in Belgium opened at 9 a.m. Cyprus time, while polling stations in the United Kingdom opened at 10 a.m. Cyprus time. The polling station in Belgium operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, with a one-hour break from noon to 1 p.m., while polling stations in the UK operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, with a half-hour break from noon to 12:30 p.m.
Asked about the use of the “Digital Citizen” application for voter identification, Elias said the system was operating very smoothly and without any problems. He noted there had been one or two cases where voters themselves were unable to use the digital ID, possibly because they were not sufficiently familiar with the process, but added that the issues were resolved and the voters were able to cast their ballots normally.
Commenting on complaints regarding SMS messages sent to voters urging them to vote not only for parties but also for specific candidates, Elia said authorities were aware of the matter and that the complaints had been forwarded to Commissioner for Personal Data Protection for examination.
He added that the only substantial issue recorded so far concerned elderly voters who were unaware that their polling station had changed and therefore went to the wrong school to vote. Elia urged citizens to use the available online tools to confirm their polling station and appealed to relatives and caregivers of elderly voters to help them verify in advance where they should vote.
(Sources: Reporter, CNA)
