Preparations for the Parliamentary Elections, which will be held in less than a week, are in the final stretch, with ballots expected to be delivered on Tuesday. Speaking to CNA, the General Superintendent of Elections, Elikkos Ilias, referred to the last pending issues and what the legislation provides for the end of the pre-election period.
"We are in the final stretch. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the ballots will be delivered from the Government Printing Office. A delivery schedule has been issued," he said.
In addition, he mentioned that the training of the chairmen and their assistants who will staff the polling centers is also being completed.
"We are fully prepared to proceed with next Sunday's elections, which I hope will proceed smoothly, be held in a civilized atmosphere, and that we will elect 56 Members of Parliament to the House of Representatives," he said.
1217 polling stations in Cyprus and abroad
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A total of 1217 polling stations will operate on Sunday. Specifically, according to the Superintendent, 1204 polling stations will operate, of which 13 will be abroad. Another 13 polling stations will concern the election of the representative of the Maronite religious group, in various cities.
In total, 454 polling stations will operate in Nicosia, 59 in Famagusta, 204 in Larnaca, 351 in Limassol, 136 in Paphos and 13 abroad.
The staffing of the polling stations has been completed, he noted. As he explained, if a polling station has 250 voters, it will be staffed with a presiding officer and two assistants, if it is 251-450 it will be staffed by the presiding officer and three assistants, and from 451 and above the presiding officer will have four assistants.
"We believe that in this way the process, both of voting and of counting, which will take place on site at the polling station, will run smoothly," he pointed out.
Regarding the operating hours of the polling stations, Mr. Elias said that in Cyprus the polls will open at 7 am and close at 6 pm, with a break from 12 noon to 1 pm. The operating hours of the polling stations in Athens and Thessaloniki will be similar. In London the polls will open at 8 am local time and close at 4 pm, with a break from 12 noon to 12.30 pm and in Brussels at 8 am local time until 5 pm, with a break from 12-1 pm.
The Superintendent noted that the purpose of this specific schedule is for all polls to close at the same time.
Furthermore, he recalled that a total of more than 6.500 people will be employed to conduct the elections, including the police officers who will work to conduct the elections, while the total cost of conducting the electoral process is estimated at around €5,6 million and, as he said, is approximately at the same levels as corresponding electoral processes in the past.
The number of registered voters is 568.587. The Commissioner noted that he will announce data on the number of voters who will vote for the first time. He also reminded that from 1/7/2027, registration on the electoral rolls will be automatic, the voter booklet will be abolished and registration will be done from the age of 17.
All billboards must be down by Saturday.
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Meanwhile, the pre-election period ends on Friday night, as electoral legislation prohibits certain activities that are directly or indirectly related to the elections on the eve and on the day of the vote.
Specifically, in his announcement, the General Superintendent of Elections notes that from midnight on Friday to Saturday until Sunday, the broadcasting, advertising or publication of any news or announcement, with or without payment, is prohibited, except for announcements or news broadcast by the General Superintendent of Elections or with his own authorization. It is understood that the above prohibition also covers advertisements displayed in the mass media, in applications and generally on the internet.
Asked about the billboards that are posted in public, Mr. Elias said that "they need to come down. The streets need to be clean on Saturday."
On Saturday and Sunday, public gatherings and the organization of speeches and public debates, the posting of billboards of any combination or candidate, and the publication of results of opinion polls or exit polls are also prohibited.
An exception to the rule are newspapers that are published on the eve of the Election, which can only publish news from the previous day's pre-election rallies.
According to the legislation, violators of the above provisions of the Law are guilty of a criminal offense and, if convicted, are subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine of up to €5.000 or both.
It is noted that content posted on social media or party/candidate or election staff accounts online before the eve of the Elections may remain. Paid or unpaid advertisements and/or links that refer to party/candidate accounts and can be perceived as advertising, must be removed. During the above period, the posting of new content is also prohibited.
It is clarified that the websites of political parties and candidates may remain in operation on the eve and day of the Elections, as visiting them is at the will of the internet user.
Regarding the conduct of exit polls outside polling stations for the purpose of predicting the final election result on Election Day, the General Superintendent notes that it is not prohibited by the current electoral legislation, provided that their results will be issued and announced in any case and only after the announcement by the General Superintendent of Elections that the voting has been completed and the polls have been closed normally in all polling stations.
Therefore, the Commissioner informs all companies and television stations intending to conduct such polls that any publication and announcement of the result of the poll before the polls close may result in criminal prosecution of their directors for violation of the relevant provisions of the Law, due to improper and illegal influence and/or influencing of voters.
It is clarified that any person who attempts to influence directly or indirectly, or to force voters to vote or to abstain from voting, or any person who attempts by fraudulent means to impede the free exercise of the right to vote by voters, or misleads voters under various pretexts, commits the serious electoral offense of unlawful influence and influencing voters.
In case of violation of the Law, those responsible for conducting exit polls may be accused of violating the secrecy of the vote or of obstructing the free exercise of the right to vote of voters or of coercing, misleading or illegally influencing, with the aim of influencing voters, to cast or abstain from casting their vote, resulting in, if convicted, being sentenced to many months of imprisonment and/or a fine.
Complaints about the process so far manageable
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since XNUMX and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from XNUMX-XNUMX. In XNUMX–XNUMX she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Asked if there have been any complaints so far about the process or any violations of the law, Mr. Ilias said that some of the complaints that were noted were minor and manageable. Specifically, he referred to complaints about the advertising spot regarding the cross of preference for party leaders, which, he said, has been corrected.
"I invite people to visit our website, to see 'how to vote', which describes very precisely when a ballot is valid. I also invite people to confirm where they are voting, in 'where to vote', by entering their ID number and date of birth," he concluded.
