Cyprus goes to the polls on Sunday, May 24, to elect 56 members of parliament. With 569,182 registered voters — 11,081 more than in 2021 — and a record 752 candidates on the ballot, here is everything you need to know before you vote.
Who can vote
All citizens of the Republic aged 18 and over who have been habitually resident in Cyprus for the past six months are eligible to vote, including Turkish Cypriots holding a Republic of Cyprus identity card with an address in the free areas. First-time voters in a general election number 11,733.
When and where
Polling stations open at 7am and close at 6pm, with a one-hour break between noon and 1pm. Voters can find their assigned polling station at wtv.elections.moi.gov.cy, by texting “wtv [ID number] [date of birth]” to 1199 (charged at four cents per message), or by calling the elections information line. Uncollected voter booklets for new voters have been returned to District Administration offices and can be collected on election day.
For the first time, a digital identity card via the Psifiakos Politis (Digital Citizen) app will be accepted as valid identification alongside a physical ID card or voter booklet.
The ballot
Due to the large number of parties contesting this election, ballots are printed on both sides for the first time. Voters in all districts except Larnaca will find party lists on both sides of their ballot. There is no official front or back — the ballot is folded to preserve the secrecy of the vote.
To cast a valid vote, mark one of the permitted symbols — X, + or ✓ — in the large box beneath your chosen party list, or next to an independent candidate’s name. You may only vote for one party or one independent candidate. Voting for more than one party, or for both a party and an independent, will invalidate your ballot.
Ballots must be marked in blue or black ink using the pens provided in the polling booth. Ballots without the official stamp, or bearing any mark that could identify the voter, are invalid.
Preference crosses
If you vote for a party, you may also express a preference for individual candidates within that party using preference crosses. The maximum number of preference crosses allowed varies by district: five in Nicosia, three in Limassol and Famagusta, two in Larnaca and Paphos, and one in Kyrenia. Marking more preference crosses than permitted does not invalidate your vote for the party — the excess crosses are simply disregarded — but all preference crosses will be ignored if the limit is exceeded.
Party and coalition leaders do not need a preference cross to be elected: they automatically receive as many preference crosses as their party receives votes. Where a leader has waived this right, a box will appear next to their name on the ballot and they must receive a preference cross like any other candidate.
Mobile phones
Mobile phones are banned inside polling stations. The only exception is their use to verify identity via the Digital Citizen app before the identification stage. Voters who use their phone inside the station may be removed — or arrested.
What is banned on polling day
Campaign activities, political advertising and rallies end tonight at midnight. On the eve of and on election day, no political advertising — including on social media, apps or websites — may be published or posted. Existing content on party and candidate websites and social media accounts may remain, but no new content may be added. All campaign billboards must be taken down by midnight tonight.
Party leaders may make brief statements to media outside their polling station after casting their vote.
The electorate by district
Voters will cast their ballots based on their district of habitual residence: 218,555 in Nicosia, 157,289 in Limassol, 98,341 in Larnaca, 54,567 in Paphos and 33,929 in Famagusta. A further 6,501 voters have registered to vote at overseas centres in Athens, Thessaloniki, London and Brussels.
Women make up 50.81% of the electorate. Voters under 30 account for 11.08% and those over 70 for 21.17%.
Enclaved voters and prisoners
Enclaved voters from the Kyrenia district will vote at Kykko A’ Lyceum in Engomi; those from the Famagusta district at Acheritou Primary School. Special polling arrangements are also in place at the Central Prisons, as has been standard practice since 2006.
When will we know the results
Counting begins immediately after polls close at 6pm. The first results from smaller polling stations are expected between 6.30pm and 7pm. Party seat totals should be clear by around 9.30pm. Because preference cross tallies are submitted manually, the full list of elected MPs from each party is not expected until after 1.30am on Monday.
The proclamation ceremony for elected MPs will take place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre at noon on Monday, May 25.
Returning Officer Elikkos Ilia urged all voters to go to the polls on Sunday. “Abstaining is not a simple choice,” he said. “It is the abandonment of a fundamental right.”
Read more:
