Local elections: a focus on Larnaca upgrade

The submission process for candidate nominations in district administrations and municipalities in Larnaca were completed on Wednesday.

As for other districts and municipalities in Cyprus, people in Larnaca are voting in June to elect district governors, mayors, deputy mayors, municipal councillors and members of school boards.

Angelos Hadjicharalambous and Evangelos Evangelides officially submitted their candidacies to become the new top official in local government – district governors.

“Today, I officially submit my independent candidacy today for the role of district governor, a role that will play a pivotal role in upgrading services and the quality of life for residents in the Larnaca district by providing solutions to long-standing issues,” said Hadjicharalambous, who is the current chairman of the Larnaca sewerage board.

Submitting his candidacy after him, Evangelides said his goal is to prioritise economic benefits for the people of Larnaca.

“The expectations from local authorities are high, and I am confident that we will meet them,” he said.

“People can no longer afford the cost of life, so we must do the impossible and govern modestly to restore the citizens’ wellbeing.”

Running once more for the position of mayor, incumbent Andreas Vyras put emphasis on a “practical administration that will talk less and work more”.

“Statements are what we have been making for the past seven years. We need to talk less and work more,” he said.

“I want to assure my fellow citizens that, if elected, we will continue together to work as we have done all this time, with consensus and cooperation, and above all, for our city.”

Vyras pledged to establish a university in Larnaca, which he said has been approved by the finance ministry, and to carry out projects funded by the European Union in excess of €100 million.

Running for the role of mayor are also Sotiris Ioannou and Michalis Pekris, with the former, an independent candidate, emphasising the problems faced by the town in recent years.

“In the past years, Larnaca has faced several challenges, such as financial insecurity, ghettoisation of areas, housing problems, the departure of young people from our city and the closure of small and medium-sized local businesses. We need to put a stop to that,” he said.

“I call on people to support my candidacy. It is neither a last-minute candidacy nor an emergency solution. It can send the right messages for the new district governor. We dare and strive for a better and more dignified Larnaca.”