Ballot boxes for Cyprus’s overseas polling stations were delivered to presiding officers on Thursday without incident, ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Thirteen polling stations will operate abroad: five in Athens, three in Thessaloniki, four in London and one in Brussels.
“The results will be sent to Cyprus the same night, as will happen with the rest of the polling stations in Cyprus, and will be entered into the computerised system for the reporting and extraction of results,” said Giorgos Matheopoulos, Director of Interior Affairs at the Ministry of Interior.
Thirty Ministry of Interior staff will travel abroad for the vote — 13 presiding officers and 17 assistants. The remaining polling station staff will be drawn from personnel at the local embassies, Matthaiopolos added.
At the handover, Matheopoulos asked presiding officers to verify they had received all necessary electoral material. This included preference cross notebooks for each district, count sheets, the electoral register, various forms and two stamps. Access codes for the computerised system were also distributed.
On the criteria for establishing overseas polling stations, Matthaiopolos explained that a minimum of 30 registered voters per district is required.
Where and when to vote
Greece hosts the largest share of polling stations, reflecting the estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Cypriots living there. Polls open at 07:00 and close at 18:00 local time, with a break from 12:00 to 13:00. In Athens, voting takes place at the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, Xenofontos 2A; in Thessaloniki, at the 2nd General Lyceum of Thessaloniki, Iktinou 5.
Four polling stations will operate in London, serving a Cypriot community estimated at between 300,000 and 450,000. Confirmed venues include the High Commission for the Republic of Cyprus at 13 St James’s Square, SW1Y 4LB, and the Cypriot Community Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green, N22 5HJ. Polls are open from 08:00 to 16:00 local time, with a break from 12:00 to 12:30.
Brussels hosts a single polling station at the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union, 61 Avenue de Cortenbergh, 1000 Brussels, open from 08:00 to 17:00 with a break from 12:00 to 13:00. The Belgian capital was included because of the concentration of Cypriot diplomats, civil servants and professionals based there, despite the comparatively small general Cypriot population, estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000.
Who can vote
To vote in Sunday’s election, a person must be a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus, be at least 18 years old, and have satisfied a six-month residency requirement in Cyprus. Cypriot heritage alone is not sufficient; voters must be legally recognised by the state and must hold a valid Republic of Cyprus identity card to appear on the electoral roll. Lifelong diaspora Cypriots born abroad who have never lived in Cyprus for six months are not eligible. The deadline to register or change voting location was April 2, 2026.
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