Cyprus is on course for a record number of candidacies in next month’s parliamentary elections, the country’s top elections official has said — and he has a firm defence of the metal tin that Cypriots still use to cast their votes.
Elikkos Ilia, Returning Officer General and Director General of the Ministry of Interior, told reporters that he expects the 24 May poll to surpass the 651 candidacies recorded at the last parliamentary elections in 2021, when 160 of those candidates were women. The final count will be known on 6 May, when candidacies are formally submitted.
“I estimate that this year we will have more candidacies,” Ilia said, adding that he hoped to see more women among them.
In 2021, 15 party lists and seven independent candidates contested the election. Ilia said he expects the number of parties to rise this year. There are currently 28 to 29 parties registered in the Political Parties Register, though he noted that not all of them will necessarily contest the election.
Around 1,195 polling stations will operate on election day, staffed by approximately 6,860 workers, including 1,185 police officers. Ilia said the presence of party and candidate representatives as witnesses — at both the voting and counting stages — guarantees the integrity of the process.
“We are preparing for the conduct of the parliamentary elections of 24 May 2026 and I am certain they will run smoothly and will be beyond reproach — a process that many countries, even developed ones, would wish they had,” he said.
On the question of why Cyprus does not use a transparent ballot box, Ilia was unequivocal: the tin ballot stays.
“The tin ballot ensures the secrecy of the vote,” he said, explaining that placing ballots in a transparent box would violate ballot secrecy the moment a voter inserted their paper. Envelopes are equally ruled out: legislation requires that the number of ballots in the box match the number of voters who cast them, a check that envelopes would complicate. He added that the tin box in use is “sturdy and resistant to impact.”
Ilia closed by calling on parties and candidates to campaign in moderate tones, presenting substantiated arguments. “We all have an obligation to maintain and strengthen the resilience of our democracy, with the aim of contributing to the prosperity of citizens,” he said.
(information from CNA)