5,000 non-Cypriot voters on Euro electoral roll

PREPARATIONS are on track for June’s European Parliament elections in which Cypriots will be called to choose six deputies to represent their country, according to the Interior Ministry’s chief election official Demetris Demetriou.

In an interview with CNA, he said that a total of 525,000 people are on the electoral list, 10,000 of whom are overseas, 1,300 are Turkish Cypriot voters and 5,000 nationals of other EU countries and 7,400 are new voters.

Demetriou said polling stations will open at 6am until 8pm, with an hour break at noon. The counting of crosses of preference to candidates, according to initial estimates, is expected to begin as soon as polling stations close on June 6.

Polling stations for the European elections are expected to be set up in Greece, Britain, Belgium, Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Demetriou said.

Of the 10,000 overseas voters, there are approximately 7,000 Cypriots in Greece; in Britain there are 2,000; 179 in Belgium; 80 in Moscow; 117 in Prague; 84 in Budapest; 227 in Sofia; 92 in Qatar and in 150 Germany.

In Greece, apart from Athens and Thessaloniki, where the embassy and consulate are situated respectively, there are plans for polling stations to open in Patra, Komotini, Volos, Dhrama, Rhodes, Mitilini, Ioannina, Kalamata, Kastoria, Crete and Larissa.

Polling stations abroad are expected to operate the same hours as in Cyprus.

Existing personnel in embassies will be working on election day under the supervision of an acting head of polling station who will receive special training by the Election Office in Cyprus.

The sorting and counting of the votes, according to initial estimates, is expected to get underway as soon as the elections end. According to Demetriou, it is expected that counting will take place at each polling station.

Demetriou said that the financial cost of the elections is estimated at €5 million.

Turkish Cypriots residing in the south will be able to vote in polling stations in the area they live and those who will come from the north will vote in polling stations near crossing points along the dividing line.

According to the Nice Treaty, Cyprus is entitled to elect six deputies. (CNA)

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