Polling officers ‘all ready’ for election day

All is ready for the upcoming presidential elections, Chief Returning Officer Costas Constantinou said on Friday, adding that officers of the polling stations in Nicosia have been thoroughly briefed.

Constantinou was speaking after a training seminar for officers working at polling stations in Nicosia.

He said he expects them to carry out their duties “with great professionality and with a sense of responsibility.”

He called on them to ensure the secrecy of voting.

“With your role of presiding officers of a polling station, you are assuming a significant responsibility, both to the candidates and to voters,” he added.

“The smooth and orderly conduct of the elections will depend to a very large extent on the flawless performance of your duties”.

A large number of unemployed graduates have been appointed presiding officers for the elections.

“The most important thing is to preserve the integrity of every ballot box, in order to maintain them intact and secure for the whole duration of the elections. They will be under your responsibility until you hand them over at the end of the voting process,” he said.

Polling stations for the presidential elections on Sunday February 5 will open at 7am and close at 6pm, with a break between noon and 1pm.

If there is a second round, polling stations will operate for the same hours the following Sunday.

Voters are forbidden from using their mobile phones inside a polling station

Only the presiding officer of each polling station will be allowed to use a mobile phone, and exclusively to communicate with other election officials elsewhere.

The presiding officer will have the power to remove from the polling station anyone using their mobile phone, with strict instructions to not rule out the arrest of these persons.