The Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Kostas Constantinou, today briefed potential candidates for the 2023 Presidential Elections or their representatives at the Press and Information Office [FOR PRESENTATION SEE HERE].
After the briefing, in a statement to reporters, Dr. Costas Constantinou noted that "representatives of potential candidates were briefed regarding the conduct of the upcoming presidential election, which will be held, the first round, on February 5, 2023 and if necessary, the run-off vote on February 12, 2023."
"At today's meeting we were briefed on the roadmap for the presidential elections, on the procedures, as well as on more practical issues related to the holding of the elections," he said."
Specifically, he said, "December 23, 2022 is the date on which the Minister of Interior will issue the decree on the basis of which the presidential elections will be called. On the same day, the General Election Commissioner, the Election Commissioners and the Assistant Election Commissioners will be appointed, who will form the staff team for the conduct of the electoral process in Cyprus and abroad".
He added that "the next important date in line is December 27, 2022, when the deadline for applying for registration on the electoral roll will close."
On this occasion, the Director General urged citizens who meet the requirements for registration on the electoral roll to apply for registration. He explained that the application can be submitted either through the online platform http://www.aps.elections.moi.gov.cy, which is operational and will be operational until 12 midnight on December 27, or in hard copy by 5 p.m. on the same date.
He also noted that he briefed representatives of potential candidates on the process of registering on the special electoral list for overseas voting. "We clarified that it will be possible to register on these electoral rolls in all cities abroad where the Republic of Cyprus has consular offices," he said. He added that the process is underway and will be completed on December 27 and depending on the applications received, it will be determined where there will be polling centres abroad.
Dr Constantinou explained that according to the law, for a polling centre to operate in a city abroad, the number of registered voters submitting a declaration must exceed 50 and this, he said, "for purposes of ensuring the secrecy of voting. Therefore, he added, "depending on the number of declarations submitted for each city, it will be decided where polling stations will be opened overseas."
In addition, he continued, an update was given on the submission of nominations. "January 5, 2023 has been set as the submission day," and informed that this will be held at the Philoxenia Conference Centre. "Arrangements have already been made so that we can receive the candidates together, if they wish, with the proposers and seconder, as well as their families," the Director General noted.
He concluded by expressing the expectation that a smooth process will be conducted through which the sovereign people will choose the new President of the Republic, who will rule the country for the next five years.
Asked by a reporter whether there will be any differentiation from the previous elections, the Director General listed two differentiations.
He explained that there are innovations with regard to the possibility of electronically submitting applications for registration on the electoral roll, as well as the possibility of electronically submitting applications to exercise the right to vote abroad.
In addition, he referred to the health status and the relevant protocol, which is being prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. He explained that within the framework of this protocol there is no intention to implement the procedure with mobile ballot boxes. "Our fellow citizens, who will be cases at the given period, will be given the opportunity to vote under strict health protocols," he said, noting "that a specific time will be determined when cases will be urged to vote."
Asked if there will be a record number of candidates, he replied that he could not comment on this question since nominations will be submitted on January 5, 2023. Nevertheless, he mentioned that so far there seems to be a lot of interest in nominations.
Asked how many new voters have registered, he replied that it is a process that is still ongoing and will be completed on December 27. He clarified, however, that both the ongoing campaign and the facility provided by the online submission function are helping to increase the number of people registering on the electoral roll.
Responding to a question on the number of overseas centres, he said that the deadline for overseas voting intention applications would have to expire before the final number could be arrived at. "At this moment it is certain that centres will be operating in Greece and the United Kingdom," he said and informed that an announcement will be issued on the cities and countries where applicants will be able to vote abroad after December 27, when the deadline expires.
In response to a question on Turkish Cypriots, the Director General replied that those residing in the free areas have the right to vote, according to the electoral legislation, and that the number of registered voters is around 700.
EFys
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