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- Ελληνικά
Statements by the Director General of the Ministry of Interior Dr. Elikkos Ilias
At midnight on 2 April 2024, the registration procedure for the Elections of Local Authorities, School Board Members and Members of the European Parliament, to be held on 9 June 2024, was completed.
As announced today by the Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Elricos Ilias, "during the period from 3 January to 2 April 2024, a total of 25,914 applications for first registration in the electoral rolls were received, of which 12,868 were submitted by Cypriot citizens for registration in the permanent electoral roll, which gives the right to participate in all Elections and obtain a voter's booklet. 860 of these were submitted electronically, via the internet, by persons aged up to 25 years, while 103 applications were submitted by Turkish Cypriots residing in the free areas of the Republic."
In relation to the special electoral list of European citizens for the Local Government Elections, a total of 10 applications were submitted.146 applications from citizens of other Member States of the European Union residing in Cyprus who have the right to vote and stand for election in the elections of Local Government Authorities, under the same conditions as Cypriot citizens.
In addition, 2,900 applications were received from European citizens for registration on the special electoral roll for the elections of Members of the European Parliament.
According to Dr Elias, "the supplementary electoral rolls will be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic next Friday, 5 April 2024 and will be posted at the offices of the District Administrations, the relevant Municipalities or Community Councils of each Parish or Community separately, for a period of ten days, for inspection and submission of any objections by any interested person. After the expiry of the above period, the supplementary electoral rolls will become final and will be incorporated into the permanent and special electoral rolls, which will be used for the purposes of the forthcoming elections."
With regard to the polling stations that will operate abroad, the Director General of the Ministry of Interior noted that, in the period from 3 January to 2 April 2024, a total of 4,831 declarations were submitted, of which 2,292 were submitted in paper form and 2,539 via the Internet. Based on the registrations in the special foreign electoral register, polling stations will be operating in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Komotini, Volos, Heraklion, Ioannina, London (Cyprus Community Centre and High Commission Building), Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Brussels.
In relation to voters who have registered to vote in any other city abroad (Rhodes, Larissa, Rethymno, Bristol or Leeds), Dr. Elias invited those interested to register by 10 April 2024 if they wish to exercise their right to vote in any of the cities where polling stations will be operating. Those wishing to do so are requested to send the following information to the Ministry of Interior, either by email to electoralroll@moi.gov.cy or by fax to 22 67 84 86: Full name, ID number, original city of declaration, new city of declaration. It is noted that those who do not submit a new declaration will remain registered in the electoral rolls in Cyprus.
In response to a question, the Director General of the Ministry of Interior said that the number of newly registered voters is satisfactory, especially when compared to the corresponding numbers in other EU countries. "My own assessment is that Cypriot citizens want to participate and will turn up on June 9 to vote in the elections in a higher percentage. There is a huge interest in terms of the Local Government Authority elections and also the European elections and I am optimistic that people will not turn their backs on this process in the end and will turn up to vote, despite the fact that we have said that it will not be a simple process. They will get their hands on up to four ballot papers if they are in communities and up to six ballot papers if they are in mayoral areas. I believe that in 3-4 minutes people will be able to vote and elect whoever they want," Dr. Elias said.
Regarding the submission of nominations, he recalled that on April 24 nominations will be submitted for the Election of Members of the European Parliament and on April 25 and 29 nominations will be submitted for the Election of Members of Local Government Authorities and School Boards. "We expect that there will be thousands of candidates, so we believe there will be an increased interest in turning up," he said.
He also congratulated the staff of the Electoral Service and the Provincial Governorates for the great work they have carried out to make the registration process on the electoral rolls a success.
Dr. Elias, responding to a question on the staffing of the polling stations, noted that about 10 will be needed.
In conclusion, he explained that the election of MEPs will take place on Monday, June 10, while for local government, the elected candidates will be announced on Tuesday, June 11.
In conclusion, he explained that the election of MEPs will take place on Monday, June 10, while for local government, the elected candidates will be announced on Tuesday, June 11.
In conclusion, he explained that the election of MEPs will take place on Monday, June 10, while for local government, the elected candidates will be announced on Tuesday, June 11. "Finally, I would like to add that these elections are combined with the great reform of local government. The Ministry is working systematically, and the Minister of Interior to make this Local Government Reform a success and we are confident that we will turn the page on July 1, 2024 and we will have a unified structure that will better serve the citizen," the Director General of the Ministry of Interior finally underlined.
(MKY)
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