Eligibility Exception:
insanity, imprisonment, disfranchisement by court decision
Right Vote Foreign Res:
EU citizens right to vote for local elections or equivalent
Registration Type:
Formal registration in office
Registration Basis:
Residence requirement
Election Management & Enforcement
Nameof EMB:
Ministry of Interior
Independent EMB:
No
Who Runs Election:
Government/National Administration
Nameof Elect Enforcement Body:
Supreme Court
Candidacy & Campaign Rules
Restrictto Candidacy:
Citizens can stand as a presidential candidate if they are over 35 years old, are eligible to vote, have not been convicted of “an offence involving dishonesty”, have not been disqualified by a court for any electoral offence, and do not suffer from a mental disability. Presidential candidates should be from the Greek Cypriot community.
Debate Average:
3
Debate Format:
Multicandidate.
Campaign Length Minimum:
Not Legally Determined
Campaign Length Average:
180
Opinion Polls Embargo:
Embargo for longer
Electoral System & Organisation
Elect System Main Election:
Majority
Main Election Type:
Presidential
Main Election Cycle:
5
Numb Round Main Election:
Two
Referenda_Law:
Constitution of Cyprus 1960
Referenda_Binding:
Wiki: Constitution of Cyprus has no mention of referendum (as of 2013). The only referendum to take place in independent Cyprus was a referendum on the Annan Plan.
Voting Machine:
None
Vote IDRequired:
ID check compulsory
Polling Card:
Polling card sent but not compulsory
National Holiday Elect Day:
Never
Dayof Election:
Saturday
Districting Flexibility:
Electoral Boundaries are the same as pre-existing administrative districts.
Polling Station
Average Voterby Polling Station:
485
Normal Opening Time Poll Station:
700
Normal Closing Time Poll Station:
18:00
Polling Station Numbers:
1136
Listof Polling Station Buildings:
Electoral Law: NOT in private buildings, without a special CEC authorization; in buildings used by the public administration, except for educational, cultural and healthcare institutions; or in buildings used or owned, partially or totally, by a political
Accessibility Requirement:
Party to UNCRPD. The law does not provide for the establishment of polling stations in hospitals, retirement homes or for mobile voting, which limits the right of elderly or bedridden voters. Partially addressing a previous ODIHR recommendation and in consultation with organizations for persons with disabilities, the election administration equipped a number of polling stations with special ballot booths that allowed persons with mobility disabilities to vote independently. Voters with other disabilities, including visual impairment, could request assisted voting. A voter requiring assistance could choose to be assisted by a family member or another trusted person, or jointly by the presiding officer and a polling assistant.
Ballot Box Transparency:
Fully opaque
Box Feeding System:
Voter
Vote Receipt:
No receipt
Tellersor Party Employees:
The election administration at all levels predominantly comprises of civil servants. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is the main election management body for the parliamentary elections. The District Officers of six administrative divisions of the country are appointed as District Returning Officers and are responsible for the organization of the elections at the district level. They, in turn, appoint presiding officers and up to six assistants for each polling station. About 1,200 polling stations will open on election day. Women usually comprise about 75 per cent of the polling staff.
Count Locallyor Centrally:
locally
Manualor Automatic Count:
manual
Nature Counting Personnel:
The Chairperson of the Election arranges for the counting of the votes in each polling place in the presence of the candidates or of the appointed written representatives of the parties
Ballot Paper
Ballot Type:
Paper
Singleor Multi Paper Ballot:
Single
Ballot Paper Type Description:
Single ballot paper. Every voter has one vote to give to a party or to an independent candidate. In case the elector decides to vote for a party list he/she may additionally express his preference for a specific candidate or candidates of the list of his choice. Crosses of preference should not be more than two. The symbols indicate the choice made by the voter for a particular candidate/party. Symbols such as '+', 'X', or '√' are to be marked in the appropriate square box on the ballot paper. It is encouraged that voters use the pens provided at polling booths since only blue or black ink coloured pens are allowed to mark the ballot with. The use of any other colour of ink would render the ballot null.
Ballot Paper Type Photo Upload:
YES
Ballot Photos:
Freely Allowed
Ballot Logos:
Freely Allowed
Orderof Candidatesor Parties:
alphabetical
Remote Voting
Temporal Remote Voting:
No
Geographical Remote Voting:
No
Personal Remote Voting:
No
Mobile Polling Stations:
No
Special Needs
Provision Linguistic Ethnic Minorites:
Bilingual Website
Provision Blind Voters:
The Pancyprian Organization of the Blind prepares a template to mark the ballot paper for each election, especially at elections with only few candidates or choices; this is for use by blind voters who don't want to avail themselves of assistance from any sighted person. There is also voting assistance.
Provision Deaf Voters:
Voting Assistance
Provision Motor Handicap Voters:
Voting Assistance
Targeted Initiatives
Recent Major Changes:
On May 31, 2017, the cabinet approved a bill abolishing compulsory voting in elections, formally ending a law that has been inactive for years.