The submission of candidacies will take place tomorrow, Wednesday. However, there is a possibility that some candidates may ultimately not be included on the ballot for the parliamentary elections, as they may be excluded following the examination of objections. Objections must be submitted in writing to the competent Returning Officer within 24 hours of the submission of candidacies.
Already, according to information of P two cases of candidates who are reported to have been convicted in the past of serious criminal offences have been brought before the Legal Service by the Elections Service of the Ministry of Interior. The Legal Service is examining whether the offences committed by the candidates concerned, who come from two different parties, fall under dishonourable offences or offences involving moral turpitude, for which the Constitution prohibits the submission of a candidacy for election to the office of Member of Parliament.
The first case concerns a candidate who is reported to have been convicted of fraud, while the second concerns a candidate who is reported to have been convicted in a revenge pornography case. There is also a third case involving a female candidate who was convicted of disciplinary offences by a European institution, where she served in a senior position. However, as we were informed, this case does not fall under the prohibitive provisions of the law, as it αφορά a disciplinary and not a criminal conviction.
Qualifications of a Candidate
According to the provisions of Article 64 of the Constitution, the right to submit a candidacy for election to the office of Member of Parliament is held by any citizen of the Republic who:
- Has completed the age of 21.
- Has not been convicted of a dishonourable offence or an offence involving moral turpitude or has not been deprived of eligibility following a decision of a competent court due to any electoral offence.
- Does not suffer from mental illness.
- Submits a deposit of €500.
Candidacies for the parliamentary elections will be submitted tomorrow to the respective Returning Officers from 9.00am until 12.30pm at the following locations:
- Nicosia Electoral District: Ceremonial Hall of the 'Archangelos' Cultural Foundation of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos.
- Limassol Electoral District: Offices of the Limassol District Administration.
- Larnaca Electoral District: Offices of the Larnaca District Administration.
- Paphos Electoral District: Offices of the Paphos District Administration.
- Famagusta Electoral District: Offices of the Famagusta District Administration in Paralimni.
- Kyrenia Electoral District: Multi‑purpose hall of the Ministry of Finance.
Candidacies for representatives of the religious groups will be submitted at the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
Proposers and Supporters
Each candidacy is submitted in writing and signed by four voters of the respective electoral district, of whom two sign the candidacy form as proposers and the other two as supporters.
For each candidacy, a deposit of €500 is required. This amount is refunded after the elections to the list of candidates or to each independent individual candidate if the candidacy is withdrawn or no vote takes place, or, if a vote does take place, provided the candidate secures at least one third, one third, of the electoral measure. Otherwise, the deposit is forfeited and credited to the Consolidated Fund of the Republic.
Lists of candidates, as well as individual candidates, may also declare an emblem if they so wish. According to current legislation, the emblem must not refer to or be identical or similar to any symbol of religious worship, the flag or any other emblem of the Republic or any foreign country, as well as the portrait of any deceased senior official of the Republic of Cyprus or of the 1955–1959 liberation struggle.
Objections
An objection may be submitted by any voter for the following reasons:
- The description of the candidate is insufficient to establish their identity.
- The candidacy submission documents do not comply with applicable legislation.
- The candidacy deposit was not paid.
The objection is submitted in writing to the respective Returning Officer within 24 hours of the expiry of the deadline for submitting candidacies and must specify the grounds on which it is based. The Returning Officer immediately examines each objection and informs the objector of the decision.
If the Returning Officer considers the grounds of the objection to be valid, the candidate is informed and invited to carry out the required corrective actions within 24 hours so that the candidacy submission process may be completed.
The Returning Officer may declare any candidacy submission documents invalid for the reasons stated above and informs the candidate accordingly. The decision of the Returning Officer may be challenged by application to the Electoral Court.