A total of 544 Turkish Cypriots, who meet the provisions of the law, are registered to vote in the parliamentary elections of May 22.
A copy of the ballot paper will be displayed at the polling stations in which the Turkish Cypriot voters will be casting their votes, along with instructions in Turkish on how to vote.
According to the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the citizens of the Republic belonging to the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities are registered in separate electoral polls and vote separately to elect respectively the President and Vice President of the Republic, and each community's MPs for the House of Representatives, which is 70% Greek Cypriots and 30% Turkish Cypriots.
Since 1964, after intercommunal unrest, the Turkish Cypriot right had not been exercised. In 2006, the Republic of Cyprus, complying with a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in an appeal by Turkish Cypriot Ibrahim Aziz, made temporary arrangements through legislation to enable Turkish Cypriots, residing in the southern government controlled areas of the Republic, to vote and be elected.
The Electoral Service clarifies that the legislation provides the right to Turkish Cypriots, whose permanent residence is in the government controlled areas of the Republic, to vote as persons and not as members of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Thus, since 2006 the Turkish Cypriots living in the government controlled areas of the Republic are able to exercise this right in all elections of the Republic of Cyprus.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
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. 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.
