More than half of people aged between 18 and 25 years old have not yet registered to vote in May’s parliamentary elections, while the total number of eligible but unregistered voters across the island stands at more than 160,000, the interior ministry’s permanent secretary Elikkos Elia said on Friday.

He said after a meeting with political party leaders that exactly 160,094 Cypriot citizens aged 18 years old and over have not yet registered to vote, and that a little over 52 per cent of people aged between 18 and 25 years old have not yet registered to vote.

Among those aged between 18 and 31 years old, 39.3 per cent of eligible voters remain unregistered, while among those aged 18 and 35 years old, 33.3 per cent of eligible voters remain unregistered.

On this matter, he said that new laws which foresee the automatic registration of eligible voters on the electoral roll, the reduction of Cyprus’ minimum voting age to 17 years old, and the acceptance of a driving licence as a form of identity one can use to vote, will come into force from January 2027.

As such, he said, the first election at which the new laws will be applied will be the presidential election of 2028.

He said that for next year’s parliamentary elections, citizens of the Republic of Cyprus who have had their usual address in territory held by the Republic of Cyprus for the last six months will have the right to vote, and that people will be able to register to vote in those elections between January 3 and April 2.

With the aim of encouraging young people to vote, he said, the interior ministry intends to send letters to people who will reach the age of 18 years old before the election, while two information campaigns will also be launched in collaboration with the press and information office.

The first, he said, will encourage people to register to vote, while the second will encourage people to vote.

He added that a “special list” is being prepared with the details of registered voters who intend to vote abroad, with those intending to vote abroad able to declare their intention to do so between January 3 and April 2.

Looking ahead to the parliamentary process regarding the election, he said parliament will dissolve itself on April 23, while the interior minister of the day will submit a decree for elections to be held on April 24.

A general commissioner and assistant general commissioner, as well as commissioners and assistant commissioners for each of Cyprus’ six electoral districts, will also be appointed on April 24, while candidacies are to be submitted on May 6.

The election itself will take place on May 24, with results set to be announced on the evening of May 24, and new members of parliament will be proclaimed as such on May 25.

A total of 56 seats will be up for election, including that of Dipa’s George Penintaex, who became an MP on Tuesday after Marinos Mousiouttas vacated his seat to become labour minister.

Of those 56 seats, 19 will belong to MPs from the Nicosia district, 12 to MPs from the Limassol district, 11 to MPs from the Famagusta district, six to MPs from the Larnaca district, five to MPs from the Paphos district, and three to MPs from the Kyrenia district.

The Paphos district gained an extra seat ahead of May’s election due to the growth in its voting population, with that gain coming at the Nicosia district’s expense.

The Republic of Cyprus’ constitution initially foresaw a parliament with 50 voting members, of whom 35 would be Greek Cypriots and 15 would be Turkish Cypriots, as well as non-voting observers belonging to the Armenian, Latin, and Maronite communities.

Following the breakdown of constitutional order and the outbreak of intercommunal violence in 1963, the Turkish Cypriots were unable to return to their seats in parliament, leaving just 35 voting members.

That figure was raised to 56 Greek Cypriots ahead of the 1985 parliamentary elections after the constitution was altered using the doctrine of necessity. The amendment foresees 24 Turkish Cypriots also being elected, but with the Cyprus problem remaining unsolved, this has not yet happened.