Interior ministry poised to allow overseas voting

THE Interior Minister is to conclude on a bill amending voting laws by the end of this month, allowing overseas voting for the first time.

Minister Neoklis Silikiotis is expected to submit his proposals to the Cabinet for approval, with the aim having Parliament pass the new legislation before the European Parliament elections take place in June.

The amendments were examined and discussed with the parliamentary parties, in meetings that took place in 2008.

The most important change, if the law is passed, will be the operation of voting centres abroad, wherever Cyprus has diplomatic representations.

This new provision will help Cypriots who live abroad, especially students who will no longer need to travel to the island in order to vote. This will also dramatically reduce the amount of money spent by political parties to transport voters.

The bill also specifies the amount of money a candidate can spend, with presidential candidates entitled to up to €2 million, MEP candidates up to €50,000, parliamentary candidates up to €30,000 and municipal candidates an amount depending on the number of candidates.

Candidates will not be allowed to advertise their candidacy on the eve of elections. Only pre-election events of the day can be published.

Among the amendments is an increase in penalties if any of the law’s provisions are violated.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.