Voting ballots given green light

The voting ballot for the first round of presidential elections was given the go-ahead on Tuesday, after the 14 candidates gave the final stamp of approval.

Chief Returning Officer Costas Constantinou said due to the number of candidates, the width of each column for every candidate was reduced to about 4cm so it could fit all of them.

This was done in a way that kept every candidate visible, he added.

The size of the ballot is the same as every year due to technical requirements.

After presenting the final version to candidates, their representatives made suggestions for any changes. They were taken on board and the final version will be sent for printing on Wednesday or Thursday, Constantinou said.

The team of independent candidate George Kolokasides disagreed with the emblem used by candidate Alexios Savvides, which is that of a tick √. The objection was rejected by the chief returning officer.

The order with which the candidates were presented is set by the legislation, he specified. This is the alphabetical order of the parties, followed by the independents in the alphabetical order of their surname.

Once the ballots are printed, they will be kept in a secure location and distributed to the voting centres in the last week before the elections.