On June 9, Cyprus will go to the polls in the most complicated elections in its history, since the European elections and those for local self-government are held at the same time, after the reform voted by the Parliament.
As far as the European elections are concerned, not much actually changes since the voters will get a ballot with the candidates of the parties or combinations or independents. The polls will open at seven in the morning and close at six in the afternoon. Cyprus elects six MEPs.
Every European citizen aged 18 or over can vote, as long as he is registered in the special electoral roll. It is also possible to vote from abroad if certain conditions are met.
In Cyprus, someone has the right to vote if they are at least 18 years old on election day, a Cypriot or European citizen in general with habitual residence in Cyprus for at least six months before securing their electoral rights, or with habitual residence in any other EU member state by the same semester, provided that on the day of your registration in the electoral roll, he had his habitual residence in Cyprus.
The public to find out who is voting can visit the website elections.gov.cy 15 days before the election date. He can vote with a political ID or an electoral book.
Therefore, if one is a Cypriot citizen permanently residing abroad, he is not entitled to vote from abroad, unless he met (before being registered on the electoral roll) the criterion of residence for six months and moved abroad later.
The authorities of the Republic of Cyprus will operate polling centers in Greece, the United Kingdom and Belgium - in embassies or elsewhere - in cities where more than 50 voters request to vote there.
Under EU law, all countries must use voting systems that ensure proportional representation, meaning that the number of elected members from each party depends on the percentage of the party's electoral votes it received.
Cyprus uses cross-preference voting, which allows voters to indicate their preferences from a list of the party or independent combination of their choice.
As there will be six members of the European Parliament from Cyprus, each political party will need to garner at least 16,66% of the vote to secure a seat in Parliament at the first allocation.
For the second or third allocation parties or party alliances or independent ballots must secure at least 1.8% of the vote.
In Cyprus there is a single constituency, meaning that voters across the country choose from the same list of candidates. Exercising the right to vote in Cyprus is not mandatory.
Political parties or individuals wishing to stand in the election must do so by 24 April 2024, the nomination day. The full list of all candidates will be published once the objection period has ended.
The ballots of the parties for the European elections
The KYPE presents today the ballot papers of the political parties as officially announced by the parties.
In this year's elections, about a third of the parties' candidates are women. Of the 48 candidates, 17 are women (35.4%).
Three Turkish Cypriots are included in the ballots. Niazi Kizilyurek with AKEL who is an active member of the European Parliament, Oz Karahan of the Union of Cyprus who is included in the ballot - a combination of the Ecologists, the Leader and the Union of Cyprus and Hulusi Kilim who is coming down with VOLT (he is the General Secretary of the new movement).
The DISY ballot
Christos Angelidis, senior executive of the tourism industry, Member of the Politburo of DISY, Policy Production Commissioner for Tourism issues of DISY.
Konstantinos Petridis, economist, former Minister of Finance, while he was Deputy Minister to the President and Minister of the Interior, under the Presidency of Nikos Anastasiadis.
Loukas Fourlas, journalist, current MEP, running for second term
Michalis Hatzipandelas, certified accountant, served as Minister of Health (July 2021-February 2023)
Christiana Xenophontos, Internationalist, Member of the Political Bureau of DISY and Vice-President of the European Youth Forum
Eleni Stavrou – adviser on Middle East issues, current MEP since November 1, 2022, running for a second term.
The AKEL ballot
Giorgos Georgiou, philologist, current MEP
Anna Theologu, economist, former Member of Parliament
Stavris Kalopsidiotis, jurist-internationalist, head of AKEL's Human Rights Section
Andros Karagiannis, English and German philologist, Mayor of Deryneia
Niazi Kizilyurek, academic, current MEP, running for second term, was the first T/k elected and the only one at the moment
Melani Steliou, actress, television producer, presenter
The DIKO ballot
The DIKO ballot includes three women and three men.
Theocharous Eleni, former MEP and Member of Parliament, doctor
Kostrikis Leontios, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Cyprus, Head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology and former Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Positive and Applied Sciences.
Lamprou Mary, Paphos District
Mavridis Kostas, current MEP, economist
Chrysis Pantelidis, current Member of Parliament, Executive Director of the Tassos Papadopoulos Research Center
Katerina Christofidou, DIKO Press Office Director
The EDEK ballot for the European elections
The six chosen by EDEK are:
Andreas Apostolou, Member of Parliament for Larnaca
Ilias Myrianthous, Member of Parliament for Paphos
Nikos Anastasiou, Mayor of Polemides
Nikolas Filippou, General Director of PASYKAF
Vivian Kanari, journalist
Pantelitsa Yokka, philologist
The ELAM ballot
Polys Anogyriatis, Businessman, Member of the Central Committee of ELAM and District Committee of Limassol.
Geadis Geadis, Member of the ELAM Political Council and Press Representative of the Faction. He is a candidate for the third time in the European elections after claiming a position in 2014 and 2019.
Pavlos T. Ioannou, economist, was Financial Commissioner between July 2013 and July 2023.
Maria Nikolaou, Parliamentary Associate of E.LA.M
Marios Pelekanos, Insolvency Advisor/Financial Advisor, former Government Spokesperson and former Vice President of DISY, until February 12, 2024, was registered in March as a member of ELAM.
Linos Ioannis Hatzigeorgiou, Lawyer, was the president of the Youth Front of the National People's Front.
The ballot of the Environmental Movement - Citizens' Cooperation
The ballot is the product of collaboration between the Environmentalists Movement - Citizens' Cooperation, the AECHMI Movement recently founded by MEP Dimitris Papadakis and the "Union of Cypriots" Movement, a group of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youth.
The ballot consists of:
From the "Union of Cyprus" the Turkish Cypriot Oz Karahan.
Petros Christodoulou, Former Deputy Mayor and former Mayor of Larnaca (2011-2016) from the "Eichmi" Movement.
The four candidates from the Environmental Movement - Citizens' Cooperation are:
Alkis Papis, Deputy President
Maria Kola, Vice President
Stavros Papadouris, Member of Parliament
Vaso Pelegaris, member of the Central Committee
The DIPA ballot
A woman is included in the DIPA ballot and this is Themis Anthopoulou, who goes down as an Aristinian. He is a journalist and worked alongside the former First Lady Fotini Papadopoulou. Now she is the general secretary of the Pancypriot Organization of Persons with Disabilities
The other candidates are:
Marios Eleftheriou, Executive of the Limassol DIPA District Committee & Municipal Councilor of Kato Polemidion
Marinos Cleanthus, Vice President of DIPA & Municipal Councilor of Aglantzia
Pantelis Poet, from Athens, who in September 2022 resigned as Deputy Secretary of International Relations and as a member of the Expanded Political Bureau of DISY and supported the candidacy of Nikos Christodoulidis
Alekos Tryfonidis, Parliamentary Representative DIPA & Member of Parliament of Nicosia
Marios Charalambidis, Aristindin, He is the Executive Director of Europa Donna Cyprus and Secretary General of the Cyprus Patient Associations Federation (OSAK).
The VOLT ballot
The new movement claims a seat for the first time in the European elections.
The ballot consists of:
Andromachi Sophokleous, Co-Vice President of Volt, political analyst and activist
Hulusi Kilim, Secretary General of Volt, involved in international trade and activism
Lysia Dimitriou, clinical researcher,
Makarios Drousiotis, investigative journalist and author
Nikolas Kyriakou, lawyer, employee of the European Union
Sophia Vassiliou, research specialist.
Only three female MEPs in 20 years
Only three women were elected to the position of MEP in the 20 years since Cyprus joined the EU.
Between 2004 and 2009, during the first term of Cypriot MEPs, after Cyprus joined the EU, there were no women in the group. The positions were held by Panagiotis Dimitriou and Ioannis Kasoulidis (DISY), Adamos Adamou and Kyriakos Triantafyllidis (AKEL), Marios Matsakis (DIKO), and Giannakis Matsis (European Democracy).
In 2009-2014, two female MEPs from Cyprus, Eleni Theocharous (DISY) and Antigoni Papadopoulou (DIKO) sat in the seats of the European Parliament, together with Ioannis Kasoulidis (DISY), Kyriakos Mavronikolas (EDEK), and Kyriakos Triantafyllidis and Takis Hatzigeorgiou (AKEL).
In the following five years, 2014-2019, Eleni Theocharous – DISY 2014-15, Solidarity 2015-19 – was the only woman among the six Cypriot MEPs.
Eleni Stavrou is the only female MEP in the current parliamentary term, having replaced in November 2022 Lefteris Christoforou whose seat was vacated following his appointment to the European Court of Auditors.
Historical review from 2004, the first MEPs and Cyprus in its 20th year of membership
About six weeks after May 1, 2004, the day of the enlargement of the European Union with ten new members, the first European elections were held in Cyprus. The match took place on June 13, 2004
DISY Ioannis Kasoulidis, Panagiotis Dimitriou (EPP)
AKEL Adamos Adamou, Kyriakos Triantafyllidis (Left Team)
DIKO Marios Matsakis (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
For Europe, Giannakis Matsis (Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and the European Democrats)
It should be noted that from May 1, 2004 until the assumption of the new MEPs that resulted from the June elections, Mr. Doros Christodoulidis was MEP. (May 1, 2004-July 19, 2004).
The European elections on June 6, 2009
DISY Ioannis Kasoulidis, Eleni Theocharous (EPP)
AKEL Takis Hatzigeorgiou, Kyriakos Triantafyllidis (Team of the Left)
DIKO Antigoni Papadopoulou (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
EDEK Koullis Mavronikolas (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
The European elections on 25 May 2014
DISY Eleni Theocharous, Christos Stylianidis (EPP)
AKEL Takis Hatzigeorgiou, Neoklis Sylikiotis (Team of the Left)
DIKO Kostas Mavridis (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
EDEK Dimitris Papadakis (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
The European elections on 26 May 2019
DISY Loukas Fourlas, Lefteris Christoforou (until November 2022), Eleni Stavrou (EPP)
It should be noted that Lefteris Christoforou assumed duties at the European audit conference and Eleni Stavrou, first runner-up, took his place.
AKEL Giorgos Georgiou, Niazi Kizilgiurek (Team of the Left)
DIKO Kostas Mavridis (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
EDEK Dimitris Papadakis (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
Voter numbers
With the completion of the registration process in the electoral rolls, a total of 25.914 applications were submitted for first registration in the electoral rolls, of which 103 applications concern Turkish Cypriots residing in the free areas of the Republic.
The permanent electoral roll provides the right to participate in all national elections, including the European Elections and the Elections for the nomination of Local Government Authorities.
According to an update from the Ministry of Interior, the total number of voters will be available after April 15, which is also the deadline for objections from any interested person regarding the supplementary electoral rolls.
About 82.000 people are registered in the special electoral roll of Turkish Cypriots for the European Parliament Elections. The exact number is expected to be announced this week.