Preparations underway for June municipal and EU elections

Preparations are underway for the European Parliament elections and the local government elections on June 9, said the head of the Elections Service of the Ministry of Interior Menelaos Vasiliou on Thursday.

This year marks the first time eight elections will be held simultaneously.

Specifically, elections will be held for members of the European Parliament, mayors, deputy mayors, municipal councils, community leaders, members of community councils, presidents of District Self-Government Organisations, and members of School Boards.

The deadline for registration in the electoral roll, as well as for submitting declarations for voting at polling stations abroad, is April 2, 2024, Vasiliou noted.

Regarding the number of voters, there are special lists for Cypriots, Europeans, and Turkish Cypriots.

“Until January 2, we had 569,086 registered voters, of which 557,578 concern the permanent electoral roll, that is, the Cypriots, which includes 735 Turkish Cypriots. We have the special electoral roll of European citizens residing in Cyprus for local government, which numbers 11,559, and the special electoral roll of Europeans for the European Parliament elections, which numbers 10,317. We have the special roll for Turkish Cypriots residing in the occupied territories, which currently numbers 82,925,” he said.

Regarding polling stations, it is estimated that around 1,850 will operate. Polling stations are also expected to operate abroad, in Greece, England, and Belgium.

On April 24, candidate submissions for the European Parliament elections will take place, on April 25 for municipal councils, Presidents of District Self-Government Organizations, and members of School Boards, and on April 29 for community councils.

The approved budget for election expenses is €6,650,000.

According to Vasiliou, the vote counting will take place at the polling stations.

As for the final results, it is too early for any estimation because they will concern the results of eight elections on the same night.

However, the preliminary results will be announced an hour and a half after the polling stations close.

“It is eight electoral counts simultaneously on the same day, which means you have different special polling stations for Cypriots, Europeans, and Turkish Cypriots, many ballots that will require increased time for someone to vote and increased time for the selection and counting of votes,” Vasiliou added.