The European Parliament is doing all it can to encourage Turkish Cypriots to vote in the upcoming elections for MEPs, its representative in Cyprus said on Friday.

“We are doing our very best to facilitate the voting from Turkish Cypriots in the upcoming European election, this is our main goal,” Andreas Kettis said.

Around 83,000 Turkish Cypriots residing in the north are already registered to vote in this year’s European Parliament election, held in Cyprus on June 9.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Kettis said that “there is a special law from the national parliament, which provides the automatic registration of Turkish Cypriots residing in the north [that have Cyprus ID] in the electoral roll for the European election.”

They will be able to vote in special polling stations that will be set up along the Green Line.

“As was the case in the previous European election five years ago, there will be more than ten polling stations created for this purpose to facilitate voting by Turkish Cypriots,” Kettis said.

He also explained that polling stations cannot operate in the north because the European Union legislation has been suspended.

“That is why the polling stations need to be within the territory of the Republic, where the government and the authorities can exercise effective control.

“We have to ensure the presence of the police for each polling station, this is common practice and aimed at ensuring and guaranteeing the democratic will of the people,” Kettis said, adding that the European Parliament Office in Cyprus is closely cooperating with the interior ministry and the electoral service of the Republic.

The organisation of the European elections in every member state is under the sole responsibility of the national authority, in this case the interior ministry.