The General Election Commissioner Dr Kostas Costantinou held a press conference this morning on issues related to the 2023 Presidential Elections process and subsequently answered questions from journalists.
Asked about the total number of registered voters, the Registrar General gave the floor to the Assistant Registrar of Elections, Mr. Menelaos Vasileiou, who clarified that the number of 561,033 on the presentation slides did not include the number of stranded voters. He further noted that the number 561,273 includes the 240 confined persons and constitutes the total electorate.
In response to a reporter's question as to whether arrangements have been made for persons who are hospitalized or persons in nursing homes, the Registrar General replied that no such arrangements are provided by law and that elections can only be held in 1.148 designated polling stations.
The Registrar General clarified that in the 2021 Parliamentary Elections, mobile polling stations were set up, not because there were fellow citizens who for whatever reason were unable to come to the polling stations to vote, but because there was an Order of the Minister of Health, which prohibited them from moving to vote.
Since the right to vote is unlimited, as he explained, this way, which was applied in the previous election process, was found to allow these people to exercise their right to vote without violating the Order of the Minister of Health, which prohibited them from moving.
None of our fellow citizens are currently under restriction following any decree, he added, because, as Dr. Constantinou said, "based on the new protocol and the Decree of the Minister of Health, it is now exceptionally possible for those who would be restricted under the law to move on election day to vote."
Asked about the ban on the entry of media into polling stations, the Chief Electoral Officer stressed that entry into polling stations is prohibited to all but those involved in the electoral process, namely officials and representatives of candidates, as well as voters. Exceptionally, a RIK television crew has been allowed to enter, he said, explaining in this regard that the image will be channelled to all other television channels that can be connected to RIK. The same is the case, he added, with the photographic material, which will be available from the Press and Information Office.
The Auditor General further added that the Press and Information Office has been instructed that any candidate who wishes to have his own cameraman and photographer during the voting period, as well as any candidate who wishes to have his own cameraman and photographer during the voting period, should make a relevant accreditation to allow them to enter the specific polling stations as well, following, of course, a request from the candidate.
Due to the sanitary measures and protocols in force inside the polling stations, and based on the space available, "it would not be feasible to provide additional facilities inside the polling stations", the Registrar General noted.
Asked whether it is possible for Cypriots who are abroad, but have not made the relevant declaration, to vote in a polling station abroad, the Registrar General replied in the negative. "Obviously they cannot vote because they have to be on the special electoral list abroad," he said.
"This special electoral list abroad has closed on 27 December 2022," he said, saying that a campaign had been conducted to inform the public so that anyone who was interested could transfer their vote.
He explained in this regard that in this case, the right to vote is transferred from the polling station where the voter votes and is registered in Cyprus to a polling station abroad to facilitate the voter. "This facilitation could be done if the voter has declared his/her intention to exercise this right given to him/her by December 27," he added. He clarified that one "has the option of going to Cyprus to exercise his/her right to vote at the polling station where he/she is allocated."
Asked by a reporter regarding what time the final election result is expected, the Registrar General assured that "every effort will be made to ensure that the Registrars of Electors carry out the work that is needed as quickly as possible, but at the same time in a safe and orderly manner."
He noted that he could not mention a specific time for the announcement of the result, but informed that the proclamation of the President of the Republic, if elected on the first Sunday, is scheduled to take place around 10 p.m.
So that we can have the proclamation at 10 p.m, he said, "we estimate that we should have a final result around 8 p.m."
"Our goal is to have the final result as quickly as possible. But you realize that it's 1,148 polling stations," he said, indicating that some of the polling stations are small. In the event that a number of less than 20 voters turn out at the polls, then the ballots will have to be mixed, Dr. Constantinou added. He noted that if there is no need to address special issues, "we will have the election result very quickly."
"We have allocated the necessary resources, infrastructure and equipment so that we can carry out the process in the shortest possible time," the Chief Electoral Officer concluded.
(EFYs/MX/SX)
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