Nicosia, Cyprus. District offices across Cyprus will open on Saturday to handle voter registrations ahead of next Thursday’s deadline, the interior ministry said. Online voter registration will remain open until midnight on April 2.
Registration hours and eligibility
District offices in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Paralimni will be open between 8am and 2pm on Saturday. The offices will otherwise remain open until 5pm on weekdays until the deadline.
The ministry said all Cypriot citizens aged 18 or older on election day, May 24, and who have had their usual residence in the Republic of Cyprus for the past six months, are eligible to vote.
Voting rights for Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots who live in territories under government control and who have identity cards issued by the Republic of Cyprus can vote and stand in presidential and parliamentary elections in line with the doctrine of necessity. The doctrine outlines the running of the Greek Cypriot-led government following the outbreak of intercommunal violence in 1963.
Overseas voting arrangements
People who intend to vote abroad are required to declare their intention to do so before next week’s deadline, with polling stations expected to open in Belgium, Greece and the United Kingdom.
The interior ministry said polling stations abroad may open in locations where at least 30 voters have expressed an interest in voting.
Those who wish to vote abroad can register on the government’s website at elections.gov.cy or in paper form by submitting the relevant form to a Cypriot embassy, high commission or consulate in Greece or in the United Kingdom. Applications can also be filed at district administration offices, citizen service centres, and citizen centres at post offices in Cyprus.
Election timetable
Parliament will dissolve itself on April 23, while the interior minister 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 be appointed on April 24, and candidacies are to be submitted on May 6.
Have you checked whether you are registered to vote before the April 2 deadline?