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Financial Mirror, Cyprus
May 3, 2011 Tuesday
Candidacies for parliamentary elections in Cyprus to be submitted
Candidacies for the parliamentary elections of May 22 will be
submitted on Tuesday, for the 56 seats of the House of Representatives
and the three seats for the religious groups of the Latins, Maronites
and Armenians.
Head of the Central Electoral Service and Assistant Chief Returning
Officer Demetris Demetriou told CNA that today 'the candidacies for
the new House of Representatives and the three representatives of the
religious groups are being submitted today.' Demetriou noted that the
candidacies will be submitted from 0900 till 1230 local time (0600 -
0930 GMT) for the five electoral districts.
He added that the tenth combination has been clarified as a party, namely ZYGOS.
The political parties participating in the elections are now AKEL, the
Democratic Rally, the Democratic Party, the Movement of Social
Democrats EDEK, the European Party, the Green Party, the National
People's Front ELAM, the Cyprus Progressive Cooperation KYPROS, the
Citizen Rights Office LASOK, and the Movement of Independent Citizens
ZYGOS.
Parliamentary elections take place every five years, for the 56 seat
House. This will be the 10th parliamentary poll since the Republic of
Cyprus was established in 1960. Polling day has been set for May 22.
Cypriot nationals who live abroad will also be able to vote.
According to the 1960 Constitution, 50 deputies are elected to the
House. In June 1985, the House by a unanimous decision increased this
number to 80 (56 from the Greek Cypriot community and 24 from the
Turkish Cypriot community by virtue of the Law of Necessity.
The Constitution stipulates that "the Greek community of Cyprus",
comprising Greek Cypriots, Latins, Armenians and Maronites, elects its
own representatives to the House and "the Turkish community of Cyprus"
its own deputies by a ratio of 70% to 30 %. The Turkish Cypriots
withdrew unilaterally from Parliament in 1964 following intercommunal
fighting and as part of their rebellion against the government.
Six political parties are currently represented to the House of
Representatives: the leftwing AKEL which received 31.16% (18 seats),
the rightwing Democratic Rally (DISI) with 30.33% (18 seats), the
Democratic Party (DIKO) with 17.91% (11 seats), the Social Democrats
Movement EDEK 8,91% (5 seats), the European Party (EVROKO) with 5.73%
(3 seats) and the Ecologists with 1,95% (1 seat).
Today the House has seven women deputies, as opposed to six in the
previous House, representing AKEL (3), DISI (2), DIKO (1) and EDEK
(1).
Following a House plenary decision, an additional seat has been
allocated to Larnaca district and the distribution of seats at present
is as follows: 20 in Nicosia District, 12 in Limassol District, 11 in
Famagusta District, 6 in Larnaca District, 4 in Paphos District and 3
in the Kyrenia District.
Armenians, Maronites and Latins, who belong to the Greek Cypriot
community, elect their representatives to the House, who do not have
the right to vote. Vartkes Mahtesian was elected representative of the
Armenian religious group, Antonis Hatzirousos of the Maronite group
and Benito Mantovani representative of the Latins.
From: A. Papazian
May 3, 2011 Tuesday
Candidacies for parliamentary elections in Cyprus to be submitted
Candidacies for the parliamentary elections of May 22 will be
submitted on Tuesday, for the 56 seats of the House of Representatives
and the three seats for the religious groups of the Latins, Maronites
and Armenians.
Head of the Central Electoral Service and Assistant Chief Returning
Officer Demetris Demetriou told CNA that today 'the candidacies for
the new House of Representatives and the three representatives of the
religious groups are being submitted today.' Demetriou noted that the
candidacies will be submitted from 0900 till 1230 local time (0600 -
0930 GMT) for the five electoral districts.
He added that the tenth combination has been clarified as a party, namely ZYGOS.
The political parties participating in the elections are now AKEL, the
Democratic Rally, the Democratic Party, the Movement of Social
Democrats EDEK, the European Party, the Green Party, the National
People's Front ELAM, the Cyprus Progressive Cooperation KYPROS, the
Citizen Rights Office LASOK, and the Movement of Independent Citizens
ZYGOS.
Parliamentary elections take place every five years, for the 56 seat
House. This will be the 10th parliamentary poll since the Republic of
Cyprus was established in 1960. Polling day has been set for May 22.
Cypriot nationals who live abroad will also be able to vote.
According to the 1960 Constitution, 50 deputies are elected to the
House. In June 1985, the House by a unanimous decision increased this
number to 80 (56 from the Greek Cypriot community and 24 from the
Turkish Cypriot community by virtue of the Law of Necessity.
The Constitution stipulates that "the Greek community of Cyprus",
comprising Greek Cypriots, Latins, Armenians and Maronites, elects its
own representatives to the House and "the Turkish community of Cyprus"
its own deputies by a ratio of 70% to 30 %. The Turkish Cypriots
withdrew unilaterally from Parliament in 1964 following intercommunal
fighting and as part of their rebellion against the government.
Six political parties are currently represented to the House of
Representatives: the leftwing AKEL which received 31.16% (18 seats),
the rightwing Democratic Rally (DISI) with 30.33% (18 seats), the
Democratic Party (DIKO) with 17.91% (11 seats), the Social Democrats
Movement EDEK 8,91% (5 seats), the European Party (EVROKO) with 5.73%
(3 seats) and the Ecologists with 1,95% (1 seat).
Today the House has seven women deputies, as opposed to six in the
previous House, representing AKEL (3), DISI (2), DIKO (1) and EDEK
(1).
Following a House plenary decision, an additional seat has been
allocated to Larnaca district and the distribution of seats at present
is as follows: 20 in Nicosia District, 12 in Limassol District, 11 in
Famagusta District, 6 in Larnaca District, 4 in Paphos District and 3
in the Kyrenia District.
Armenians, Maronites and Latins, who belong to the Greek Cypriot
community, elect their representatives to the House, who do not have
the right to vote. Vartkes Mahtesian was elected representative of the
Armenian religious group, Antonis Hatzirousos of the Maronite group
and Benito Mantovani representative of the Latins.
From: A. Papazian