THE ACTUAL act of voting is not meant to be a complicated affair as it should be available to everyone. You go to a voting station, show your identification, tick off a few boxes, and you’re off on your way.
But what about registering to vote? In theory that too should be a fairly simple process: you go to the proper office and fill out a few forms. But for non-Cypriot EU nationals, it’s something that requires research, investigation and endurance.
So it was time to get started. After finding the Interior Ministry online, as advised by a government advertisement explaining the procedure, the first problem presented itself in that the website is entirely in Greek, with tiny letters and dozens of confusing links.
A non-Greek speaker might click on the contact us section, but when we followed the link, we were strangely given the telephone number of the webmaster.
We therefore got the number from directory enquiries. After placing a call to the switchboard, posing as a potential EU voter, a receptionist gave us another number to dial.
But when we called the number we got through to the secretary of the Head of Immigration.
We called the switchboard back to explain, in English as a non-Cypriot would, with the woman saying she did not understand the request, asking, “what does vote mean?”
We were eventually given another number and we then finally got somewhere, with a lady proving very helpful, explaining the procedure and giving us the telephone number of the nearest district office and even providing directions.
She urged us to get our skates on so as not to miss next month’s deadline for registering for December’s municipal elections.
To register to vote, EU nationals must first apply for a temporary residency card, a process that can take as long as eight months. Upon receiving their residency card they can then apply for their Cyprus ID cards from their district office, which take around two weeks to receive, and then register to vote.
In July, elections officer Demetris Demetriou explained that due to delays in the application process, the government had decided to expedite the process by only requiring the receipt of their residency card application.
This potentially cuts out six months of waiting from the registration process.
Application forms for the issue of a residence permit are available at the Civil Registry and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior and at the District Aliens and Immigration Branches of the Police. They are also available at the website: www.moi.gov.cy (if you are able to navigate the mainly-Greek site).
The registration closing date for the December 2006 municipal elections is October 2.
Paphos District Officer Andreas Christodoulides said that in an effort to increase the number of registered EU nationals, the government is sending letters in English, Greek, French and German to private residencies of all non-Cypriot Europeans that outline the registration procedure.
Interior Ministry officials have said that the electoral poll is updated every trimester – on January 2, April 2, July 2, and October 2.
With Cyprus’ EU accession, non-Cypriot EU nationals residing in Cyprus have the right to vote in local and European parliament elections (Council Directive 94/80EC December 1994). In addition to voting, EU resident nationals may also run as municipal candidates.
District Offices
Nicosia 22-804121
Limassol 25-806400
Larnaca 24-801818
Paphos 26-801200
Famagusta 23-812068
What you need
In order to obtain a Cyprus ID card you must present yourself at the Citizen’s Centre, Katsoni 29 in Ayioi Omologites, Nicosia, open daily from 7.30am to 5pm or to your local District Administration Office with the following documents: Passport, birth certificate, wedding certificate (if applicable), Aliens Registration Card, Permanent Resident Permit (pink slip), photograph and £5.
In order to obtain an electoral booklet you must present yourself at the Citizen’s Centre or at your local District Administration Office, with the following documents:
Fill in and submit the appropriate form (http://moi.gov.cy/pdf/elections.pdf)
for registration, a photograph and your Cyprus ID
For more information on the upcoming municipal elections please check: http://moi.gov.cy/images/ELECTIONSENGLISHTRANSLATION.pdf
