With the European Parliament elections only days away, both the European Parliament and the chief returning officer of the Interior Ministry has been releasing a spate of information on Sunday’s poll.
A total of 641,181 voters (549,011 Greek Cypriots, 81,611 Turkish Cypriots and 10,559 EU citizens) have registered to vote.
They will select from a total of 72 candidates in 13 lists.
Voters must pick one party (or an independent). If they pick a party, they can, additionally, indicate a preference among the candidates of the same list (maximum of two preferences).
In all cases, voters must record their choice of the party/list or independent with a tick, cross or x using a black or blue pen.
They can vote on presentation of an ID card or a voting booklet.
The threshold by law is 1.8% but in practice for six seats (with Cyprus counting as a single constituency) it is 16.6%. Polling stations open at 7 am and close at 6 pm with a one hour break at noon.
Provisional final results are expected at around 8 30 pm and the official results are due at midnight.
Of the 72 candidates, only 20 are women – representing 27.7% of the total (17 Greek Cypriot and 3 Turkish Cypriot).
Only two tickets have 50% women representation only in two tickets: People’s Alliance – Movement of Ecologists-Environmentalist which is a Greek Cypriot coalition of 2 parties and the Turkish Cypriot Jasmine Movement of Turkish Cypriot journalist Sener Levent.
The parties running in the elections are: Democratic Rally (Disy), Akel, Diko, Edek, Citizens’ Alliance/Ecologists, Elam, Dipa (Democratic Alignment), Jasmine Movement, Patriotiko Kinima, National Liberation Party (EAK) and Socialist Party of Cyprus. Three independent are also running.
The following candidates are seeking re-election: Lefteris Christoforou of Diosy, Costas Mavrides of Diko, Demetris Papadakis or Edek, Neoclis Sylikiotis of Akel and Eleni Theocharous of Solidarity – running with Diko).
The turnout in 2014 was 43.97%.
2014 results:
Disy 2 MEPs (37.75%), Akel 2 MEPs (26.98%), DIKO 1 MEP (10.83%), Edek 1 MEP (7.68%). Alliance (6.78%), Message of Hope 3.83%, Elam 2.69%. Drasi-Eylem 0.86% and other parties 2.60%.
Opinion polls show Disy and Akel both securing two seats each and Diko holding on to its seat. But the sixth seat is up in the air with opinion polls suggesting a close race between Edek and Elam and the Citizens Alliance/Greens expressing confidence they will win it.
Opinion polls show Disy and Akel both securing two seats each and Diko holding on to its seat. But the sixth seat is up in the air with opinion polls suggesting a close race between Edek and Elam and the Citizens Alliance/Greens expressing confidence they will win it.
