The Greek Cypriot electorate is called to the ballot box once more this year – this time by the Church of Cyprus – to elect in a lengthy and complex procedure the new Archbishop, on 24 September.
He will replace the ailing Archbishop Chrysostomos, who has been incapacitated for the past several years. The sick clergyman succeeded the late Archbishop and first President of the Republic of Cyprus Makarios III, who died on August 3, 1977. Since Chrysostomos’s illness, the Church has been run by the acting primate of the church, Pafos Bishop Chrysostomos.
In May this year, Cypriots elected the 56 members of the House of Representatives. Now after a lapse of 29 years, they will elect a new Archbishop for the autocephalous Church of Cyprus, following a relevant decision by a meeting of high ranking clergy, called by the Eucumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos.
Yiannis Harilaou, in charge of the church election body, has said the elections will be held in accordance with the Church Charter and special legislation and the name of the new archbishop is expected to be announced before midnight on 24 September, when elections will take place.
Greek Orthodox refugees will vote at the place of their current residence and votes will be counted at the Cyprus International Centre in Nicosia, he explained, adding that polling stations will operate in churches, schools and church halls.
He said the procedure for the election of the new archbishop is rather complex.
Candidates for the post of special representatives from each community and area started on Friday submitting their bids, a process that will last until 4 September.
Anybody over 25 who is registered in the electoral lists of local communities is eligible to submit his or her interest to become one of 1.400 special representatives (400 for the archbishopric district that includes Famagusta district and 200 for each of the metropolitan districts of Pafos, Larnaca, Kyrenia, Limassol and Morphou).
The 1.400 special representatives will, within 22 days of being elected, elect 100 general representatives, who must be Greek Orthodox, men or women, permanent residents of Cyprus and over 30 years old.
The 100 general representatives are classified in the following manner: 50 for the archbishopric district (clergy and laymen) and ten general representatives for each of the other five districts.
The Electoral Assembly, comprising 33 ex officio members (such as bishops, deputy bishops, abbots and monks) and the 100 general representatives, is called to the Holy Archbishopric to elect the Archbishop by secret ballot in two separate ballot boxes, one for each group that makes up the Assembly (ex officio and general representatives).
The new Archbishop must secure the majority of votes in both ballot boxes. In case of equal vote, the decision rests with the Holy Synod which meets to elect the archbishop in a secret ballot. If again, there is equal vote, the new archbishop is elected in a draw.
The Church of Cyprus is autocephalous and its head enjoys exceptional privileges (signs in red ink, wears special empirical tunic at important church ceremonies and holds a scepter). The Church was announced autocephalous in 478 AD when the remains of its founder, Saint Barnabas, were located on the island, in a tomb together with a copy of the gospel by Saint Mathew.
