Candidates fail to agree on ballot paper format

PRESIDENTIAL candidates failed to agree yesterday on the final format of the ballot paper, holding back for another day the order to print over half a million papers before the February elections.

Chief Returning Officer Lazaros Savvides met with representatives of the nine presidential hopefuls yesterday to discuss the final shape of the ballot paper. Due to some disagreements over the format, another meeting was arranged for today to finalise the issue.

Yesterday’s discussions focused on the size of each candidate’s emblem and on whether the names should begin with the surname or the first name of each candidate. Savvides said once agreement was reached, he would give the order to print 550,000 ballot papers, with around 35,000 extras ordered as back-up. The candidates’ representatives agreed that a black and white photograph of each candidate would be placed in a frame on the ballot paper.

There may not be any photos of women on this year’s ballot paper, but it is women that could have the final say in the elections. According to data released by Savvides, women represent the majority of voters in the upcoming elections on February 17.
Out of a total 515,994 voters, 261,410 are women and 254,584 men. The largest age group of voters is the 20 to 29-year-olds, representing 96,543 voters, of which 49,708 are men and 46,835 women.

There are 17,478 registered voters in the 18-19 age group, 86,306 in the 50 to 59 age group, 66,224 in the 60 to 69 age group, and 70,562 in the over 70s.

The Chief Returning Officer called on all voters to locate their voting books in time before the elections. He noted that replacements could be issued until February 16.

If voting books are full, additional pages may be added at the polling stations on the day. To avoid delays, Savvides encouraged voters to get their additional pages before voting day at any of the island-wide District Offices or at the Election Service.

New voters have been urged to collect their voting books from their community leaders before February 15, after which they will be returned to the District Offices from where they may be picked up until the day of the election.

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