Nicosia, Cyprus. The total cost of the upcoming parliamentary elections will reach €6 million, assistant chief returning officer Menelaos Vasiliou said on Tuesday. The elections will be held on May 24, with polling stations open from 7am to 6pm.
Election staffing and applications
Vasiliou said remunerations will be €617 for presiding officers and €316 for assistant officers at polling stations. Around 5,300 civil servants and 1,200 police officers are set to be deployed in the run-up to the elections, with exact numbers expected by next week.
He said the total number of applications for election-related work stood at 16,103, including 9,196 from civil servants, 6,614 from private individuals and 293 from unemployed graduates, all of whom have been granted a placement. Vasiliou said priority is given to the unemployed and that approval has been secured from the ministry of labour to pay the full amount without deductions.
Polling stations and voter allocation
A total of 1,204 polling stations will be opened for the elections, including 13 located in four sites abroad. An additional 13 polling stations will operate for the election of the Maronite religious community representative.
Vasiliou said approximately 600 voters will be assigned to each polling station, with the possibility of a slight increase in certain areas. Each polling station will be staffed with one presiding officer and two to four assistant officers, depending on the number of voters.
Registered voters and district totals
As of mid-May, 568,587 voters were registered for the parliamentary elections. Nicosia had the largest number of registered voters with 198,553, followed by Limassol with 116,924 and Famagusta with 116,392.
The figures also include 859 Turkish Cypriots who hold Republic of Cyprus ID cards and reside in the Republic.
What do you think about the scale of staffing and resources planned for the May 24 parliamentary elections?