Archbishop hopefuls must file candidacy by Monday

Aspiring archbishops have to finalise their candidacy by Monday, when ballots are set to go to print. This should also mean an end to rumours about who will be running, after Kyrenia Bishop Chrysostomos refuted reports which said he would be withdrawing his candidacy, it emerged on Friday.

General archbishopric elections commissioner Ioannis Charilaou said efforts are underway to ensure deadlines are kept, as preparations for the elections needed to stick to the timeframes.

“If anyone is going to withdraw their candidacy it should be by Monday. After that it’s too late,” he told the state broadcaster.

“It’s a long process to print out the ballots, so the timeframes must be kept.” The ballots will include the name and picture of the candidates, for members of the public to vote.

Previously, the church had requested the electoral rolls from the interior ministry which were handed over, and the church is now in the process of drawing up their own register for the elections. The number of voters will then be made clear.

Eligible to vote in the archbishop’s elections will be individuals over 18 that are registered Christian Orthodox individuals, who have resided in Cyprus for more than a year.

Meanwhile, reports published earlier in the week suggesting Kyrenia Bishop Chrysostomos would be stepping out of the archbishop race, were refuted by him, while he specified he was still very much in the running.