Category: Cyprus News Agency

The electoral process is continuing smoothly and without any major problems, said the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, at noon on Sunday.

“Up to this time, the electoral process is continuing smoothly and without any particular problems,” noted Arnaoutis, adding that the cooperation between the services involved is continuous and effective. “Members of the Police are present at all polling stations and also on patrol throughout Cyprus to ensure law and order,” he said.

Responding to a question, the Chief of Police said that no major problems or irregularities have been reported in the electoral process. “There may be minor issues, that is, they are not worth mentioning so far,” he stressed.

Finally, he replied in the negative when asked whether it is the responsibility of the Police to move political party banners that remain posted in various places.

Cypriot Swimmer Kalia Antoniou won the bronze medal at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Sacramento, USA, setting a new Cypriot record.

According to a press release, Antoniou took on Saturday the 3rd place in the 50m. freestyle, with time 24:83, breaking the Cypriot record that she held herself.

It is noted that the time she achieved is considered as first limit for the World Championships in Budapest in 2027.

At 105 years old, Argyri (Argyro) Achillea, the oldest voter in the Paphos electoral district, exercises her voting right, remaining faithful to a life journey filled with toil, dignity, and love for her homeland, as she tells CNA.

Achillea, who lives in Tala, will head to the polls, as she has done in every election throughout the years. “After I get dressed, my granddaughter Sofia will take me to vote,” she says, maintaining a life stance that hasn’t bent to time.

She also speaks about her relative, the famous composer and singer Cat Stevens, who made a great career in England, later embraced Islam, and renamed himself Yusuf Islam. As Argyri reveals, his father and her mother were siblings.

She had previously declared her wish to live long enough to vote for the next President of the Republic. For Cyprus, her wish remains simple but profound, “peace and love for the whole world”.

Her life represents an entire chapter of rural Cyprus. Mother of eight children-five sons and three daughters-she now has a large family of 23 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and 23 great-great-grandchildren surrounding her.

Her husband, Sophocles Achilleos, originally from Amargeti, operated a bus service transporting people from Tala and Emba. He passed away over 27 years ago.

She dedicated her life to the land and work. She laboured during harvest season, cultivation, carob trees, and even road construction to raise her children. Meanwhile, she operated a coffee shop in Tala community-a gathering place that became a reference point for the village.

Today, her youngest son Alexander Achilleos remains constantly by her side, though all her children visit regularly. Some live far away-one son in England, others in Nicosia-but family bonds remain strong.

Her granddaughter, Sofia Georgiou, remembers her coffee shop where children would run to meet her. From her grandmother, she learned to make traditional flaounes and sausages, flavours and traditions passed through generations. She said her grandmother loves pulses, avoids meat and drinks a lot of water.

The 105-year-old loves attending church and remains deeply faithful.

Today, bearing a century of memories, labour, and sacrifice, she will once again enter the polling station in Tala-not merely as Paphos’ eldest voter, but as a living embodiment of endurance, family legacy and historical witness.

President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, urged the people to vote in Sunday’s Parliamentary elections, noting that abstention is not an option.

In remarks at the 1st Primary School of Geroskipou, in Paphos, accompanied by his wife Philippa Karsera Christodoulidou, the President told journalists that “today’s electoral process is important and concerns us all. It concerns the legislative power of our country and as the executive power we want a House with which we can cooperate excellently primarily for the good of our country, for the good of society, for the good of the citizens”.

And within this framework, he said, “I call on the Cypriot people to participate in the electoral process. As the executive power we proceeded with some functional reforms, so that there would be greater participation, with automatic registration, with the voting right from the age of 17, which was decided by the House to apply from the next electoral process, but, I repeat, it is important, it is good for people to participate. Certainly abstention is not an option.”

Asked if he is anxious about the electoral result, the President of the Republic he replied in the negative, noting the result “will be absolutely respected by the executive power and we will work with the new House, so that our country progresses even further, so that society benefits, so that the Cypriot people benefit.”

“What is important in any electoral process is to think about how our country can move even further forward. This is the goal of the executive power, this is what we do as Government, this is what we will do with the new House,” he added.

Invited to say if there was toxicity during the pre-election campaign and if he is satisfied with the quality of political discourse during the campaign, the President of the Republic said that “it would clearly be better if there had been a more substantial exchange of views – all views are respected, but if there had been a dialogue, based on the issues that concern society, that concern the Cypriot people, about our national issue, about the Cyprus problem, where I see developments coming. In any case, the pre-election period has been completed, today the Cypriot people will decide and the result will be absolutely respected.”

President Christodoulides further said that “we are ready to cooperate on the basis of our ideological-political approach, in no case on the basis of any compromise. I insist on ideology, I insist that we have a very specific, and we show it through our decisions and actions, political-ideological orientation, the opinion of both those who disagree with us and those who agree with us is respected, and on this basis if we have common goals, common visions we are ready to cooperate immediately.”

Invited to say with what criteria he made his personal choice today and to a journalist’s observation that this is the first time that Paphos will elect five members in the House, President Christodoulides said that “yes, Paphos will elect five MPs in this electoral process. I made my choice based on my ideological-political framework with which we exercise governance of the country. I don’t say one thing and do differently.”

The President remarked that the “we have a programme, a social contract with the Cypriot people which we implement on the basis of social liberalism and within this framework I exercised my voting right.”

To a question whether he voted for one or two candidates, the President of the Republic said that “it doesn’t matter if I voted for one or two. I exercised my voting right, I did not abstain. I chose on the basis that I have mentioned to you.”

To a journalist’s observation that he voted fairly fast, the President of the Republic said “of course, I have a clear opinion within the framework I mentioned to you earlier about our ideological-political orientation.”

“I want to mention it, in a period when, not only in Cyprus, but also at European and international level, some claim about the collapse of ideologies, allow me to disagree completely. We must have a clear ideological-political direction, this is what we do, we respect if some others choose something different, and based on this we also exercise politics, we also choose candidate MPs,” he noted.

When asked if tonight he will watch the election results or the basketball match between Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid, the President of the Republic said that “I will certainly watch the election results. I am also interested in Olympiacos, I am a fan of Olympiacos, and of Pafos of course, I never denied it…”, he added.

Voter turnout in the 2026 parliamentary elections appears to be increased, as by 3:00 p.m. 49.8% of registered voters had cast their ballots, marking an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared to the same time during the 2021 parliamentary elections, when turnout stood at 45.1%.

A total of 285,502 people had voted by 3:00 p.m.

According to the Chief Returning Officer, Elikkos Elia, the electoral process had been proceeding smoothly up to that point, without any problems. “We are particularly satisfied with the way voting is being conducted in all districts,” he said.

At the district level, the largest increase compared to the 2021 parliamentary elections was recorded in Nicosia, where turnout reached 52.4% compared to 43.4% in the previous parliamentary election. During the 2023 presidential elections, turnout in Nicosia at the same time stood at 58.4%, while it is slightly higher than the 49.7% recorded in the 2024 European elections.

In Limassol, by midday 44.9% of voters had cast their ballots, compared to 44.7% in 2021, a figure that remains lower than the 52.9% recorded in the 2023 presidential elections and the 49.6% in the 2024 elections.

In the Famagusta District, turnout reached 53.9%, up from 51.6% in the 2021 parliamentary elections and close to the 55.4% recorded in the 2023 presidential elections, though still below the 57.8% recorded in the 2024 elections.

In Larnaca, turnout was recorded at 49.4%, compared to 45.4% in 2021, below the 54.9% of the 2023 presidential elections, but still close to the 51.1% recorded in 2024.

In Paphos, by contrast, turnout stood at 51.2% compared to 49.5%, though it still lagged behind both the 55.9% recorded in the 2023 presidential elections and the 58.1% recorded in the 2024 elections.

Abroad, turnout stood at 46.2%, also showing an increase compared to 40.3% in 2021 and higher than the corresponding percentages in 2023 (43.7%) and 2024 (39%).

Nationwide, the 49.8% turnout recorded by 3:00 p.m. remains lower than the 55.6% recorded in the 2023 presidential elections, while exceeding the 44.3% recorded in the 2024 elections.

The Chief Returning Officer reminded voters that polling continues until 6:00 p.m. and urged them to arrive at polling stations early rather than waiting until the last minute, in order to avoid overcrowding.

Greek Cypriot enclaved in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus, showed up once again in the government controlled areas of the Republic, to cast their vote, underlining the importance of their presence in the occupied areas.

Mrs. Suzana from Kormakitis, age 95, the oldest resident of the occupied village, votes unfailingly in all electoral processes. Now, wheelchair bound, she came this time too and voted both for the Parliamentary elections and for the election of the Maronite religious group representative in the new House of Representatives.

Mrs. Katia was born in October 1937, in Kormakitis, where she lives to this day. In every electoral process – Presidential, Parliamentary, and local elections – she declares herself present. She considers it her duty to do so, she said. “I always voted”, she added.

Mrs. Yiannoula, 79 years old, is one of only three permanent residents in Karpasia. She also came today to vote accompanied by her son. The resettled residents in Karpasia, she mentioned, number about ten.

The enclaved residents from the occupied villages of Kormakitis and Karpasia came in numbers to vote at the specially arranged polling centers at Kykkos High School in Nicosia. Many arrived over the weekend to see their children, grandchildren and other relatives. The first bus with 29 people arrived at Kykkos High School around 10:30 with 29 people, mainly elderly, from Kormakitis. A second bus was scheduled for this afternoon. Some will return by bus, others by private cars.

Relatives, friends and acquaintances thronged the school courtyard and polling center where they had a chance to catch up with their news. Some had not met for a long time.

Four members of the Maronite community are participating in different parties in the House of Representatives elections, Kormakitis community leader Antonis Solomou told CNA. Having resettled three years ago in the village, Solomou said that the permanent residents together with people who returned and live there now, number about 400.

He said the Maronite community “is very active in public affairs”. Indeed, the turnout has been large since morning and as Solomou said, in all elections the “community is number one”.

In the local elections, he said, they had 97% participation. They want, he added, more young people to resettle in Kormakitis and together with their representative in the new Parliament, they will proceed with a proposal for an incentive scheme similar to that for young people to return to the mountain villages.

None of the three elderly women who spoke to CNA contemplated leaving their villages, even though their children live in the free areas. “We are already accustomed to it”, said Mrs. Katia, who has been widowed since 2010, but her children visit her continuously. Her son Michalis, the third of her five children, accompanied her to the polling station and told CNA that in two months he will retire and will relocate to Kormakitis to be near his mother.

The CNA asked Mrs. Katia what does she wish for these elections. “I wish that the one I voted for will win. Whoever God wants to win. I know…” she said with a smile. Mrs. Katia and her son Michalis said that “we have to keep Kormakitis” going. The state must maintain the Greek element in the north”, Michalis said, whether it is called Kormakitis or Karpasia, and the young people should go and live there. “The village welcomes everyone as long as they want it,” Mrs. Katia said.

Mr. Mishelis from Kormakitis also came to vote. He has been living in Kormakitis for the last 26 years. He said he is doing well and likes it very much there, “where our mother, our grandparents are buried and we will die there too”. He votes unfailingly every time and returns.

Mr. Iosif and Mrs. Yiannoullla, a couple, live in Kormakitis and came alone with their own means to vote and return to the village on the same day. “We are resettled and we are doing very well,” said Mrs. Yiannoullla. Their children live in the government controlled areas but they get to see them every weekend.

The oldest of all in Kormakitis, Mrs. Souzana, has five children, all of whom live in the free areas. She says it with regret while crying, however she sees them often and they visit too. . She exercised her right to vote once again today. It is her duty, she says, and she will do it as long as she lives. She called on the young people to relocate to Kormakitis.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The last round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Shortly after the invasion, some 20,000 Greek Cypriot remained in their home, in the areas Turkey had occupied. The number of these “enclaved” persons has dwindled over the years due to the appalling living conditions and restrictions imposed on them and their daily life. Educational and religious freedoms, in addition to individual freedoms are curtailed by the occupation regime.

One in three voters decided not to go to the polls, as voter abstention across Cyprus was recorded at 33.6%. Final turnout in the 2026 parliamentary elections reached 66.4%.

According to the Chief Returning Officer, Elikkos Elias, 378,150 voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s elections out of 569,182 eligible voters.

Compared to the previous parliamentary elections in 2021, turnout increased by 2.5%.

According to Elias, a total of 4,374 people voted at the 13 overseas polling stations, out of 6,501 submitted voter declarations.

At the 13 polling stations operating for the election of the Representative of the Religious Group of the Maronites, 3,175 people voted out of 4,624 registered voters, corresponding to a turnout rate of 68.7%.

In Nicosia, final voter turnout reached 67.2%, marking an increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2021. Turnout in the capital was higher than in the European Parliament elections (65.8%), but did not reach the levels recorded in the presidential elections (72.8%).

Turnout in Limassol increased by only 0.9% compared to the previous parliamentary elections, reaching 61.9%. However, it remained significantly lower than in the previous presidential elections (69.3%) and European elections (65.4%).

Famagusta was the only district where a decrease in turnout was recorded compared to the previous parliamentary elections, falling by 0.8%, although it still recorded the highest turnout rate nationwide at 72.3%. The figure was similar to that of the presidential elections (73%), but below the European elections turnout (76.4%).

In Larnaca, turnout increased by 3.3% compared to 2021, reaching 67.3%. The figure remains considerably lower than turnout in the presidential elections (72.3%) and European elections (70.3%).

In Paphos, voter turnout remained at roughly the same levels as last year, reaching 71% (2021: 70.3%). Turnout exceeded that of the European elections (69.9%), but not that of the presidential elections (75.6%).

The largest increase in turnout compared to 2021 was recorded among overseas voters, where turnout reached 67.3%, an increase of 5.4 percentage points over 2021. Participation was also higher compared to the European elections (61.6%), but lower than in the presidential elections (73.5%).

Voter turnout in the 2026 parliamentary elections reached 61.2% nationwide by 5:00 pm (local time). The figure represents an increase of 4.5 percentage points compared to the corresponding 56.7% recorded at the same time during the previous parliamentary elections.

According to the Chief Returning Officer, Elikkos Elia, a total of 351,281 people had voted by 5:00 pm. “The voting process is proceeding smoothly and voters continue to arrive at polling stations across the country,” he said.

Turnout in Nicosia reached 63.1% by 5:00 pm, up by 8% compared to the 2021 parliamentary elections. Compared with the 69.7% recorded at the same time during the 2023 presidential elections, the percentage is lower, but it is higher than the 58.7% recorded in the 2024 European elections.

In Limassol, turnout at that time stood at 56%, slightly up from 54.5% in the previous parliamentary elections, but lower than the 64.3% recorded in the 2023 presidential elections and the 59.6% in 2024.

In Larnaca, 61.2% had voted by 5:00 p.m., compared with 57.1% in 2021, 66.3% in 2023, and 63.2% in 2024.

In Famagusta, turnout reached 65.7%, up from 57.1% in the 2021 parliamentary elections, but below the 66.3% recorded in the presidential elections and the 63.2% in the European elections.

In Paphos, 65.9% had voted by 5:00 pm, roughly at the same level as the 64.1% recorded at the same time in the previous elections, but lower than the 71.3% recorded in the presidential elections and the 72.9% in the European elections.

Abroad, voter turnout reached 61% at that time, higher than the 54.4% recorded in the 2021 parliamentary elections, lower than the 66.6% in the presidential elections, but above the 54.4% recorded in the European elections.

The Chief Returning Officer thanked voters “for their exemplary conduct, the presiding officers and assistant staff at polling stations, as well as the teams of political parties and independent candidates for the cooperation they have demonstrated.”

“In approximately 40 minutes, the voting process will come to an end. I once again call on voters who have not yet exercised their right to vote to go immediately to their polling stations, and in any case before 6:00 pm, in order to do so,” he said.

Polling stations are expected to close at 6:00 pm, in Cyprus and abroad. The Returning Officer reminded the Media that the publication of exit poll results should only take place after his official announcement that the polls have closed.

Voting in Cyprus’ 2026 parliamentary elections resumed normally at 1 p.m. across all polling stations in Cyprus and Greece following the scheduled one-hour break, Chief Returning Officer Elikkos Elia said on Sunday.

Elia said the electoral process restarted on time at all polling stations operating in Cyprus as well as at voting centres in Greece.

Regarding polling stations abroad, he noted that the centre in Brussels closed temporarily for a one-hour break, while the London polling station was scheduled to pause for 30 minutes from 1200 to 1230 local time.

As voting resumed, Elia renewed his appeal to citizens to participate in the election process.

“I once again call on all voters to responsibly go to the polls, exercise their electoral right and elect the individuals they wish to represent them in the House of Representatives during the next five-year term,” he said.

Responding to questions from journalists about reports concerning SMS messages and complaints that had been submitted, Elia said the incidents would be investigated by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, noting that such matters could not be thoroughly examined while the electoral process was ongoing.

He added that the priority for voters seeking information was identifying their polling station, stressing that available applications allowed citizens to easily locate where they vote and arrive on time to cast their ballots.

Elias also said a team from the Press and Information Office was monitoring social media posts, which would be assessed after the completion of the election process.

“What matters is that the election is completed smoothly. We are on the right track,” he said, adding that turnout and the overall process were being conducted in a polite and orderly manner.

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 24/05/2026 UNTIL 1800 25/05/2026

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1015hPa (hectopascal)

Unstable air mass is affecting the area. Locally increased cloud will be present at times with risk of isolated showers and/or thunderstorm. Overnight and dawn low clouds are expected and over southern and eastern parts risk of local mist or isolated fog patches.

Visibility: Good, locally moderate

Sea surface temperature: 20°C

Warnings: NONE

AREA

PERIOD

WIND

STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Night

Northwest to Northeast 3, locally at first 4 to 5

Smooth to Slight, locally at first Slight

Morning

Variable 3, gradually Southwest 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, locally 4

Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, initially 4 to 5

Smooth to Slight, initially Slight

Morning

Variable 3, gradually South to Southwest 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

South to Southwest 4, gradually Southwest to West

Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Night

Southwest to West 3

Smooth to Slight

Morning

Variable 3, later Southeast to South 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

Southeast to Southwest 4, later South to Southwest

Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Night

Southeast to Southwest 3, locally at first Southwest to Northwest 4

Smooth to Slight, locally at first Slight

Morning

South to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 4

Smooth to Slight

Time of issue: 1700

Date: 24/05/2026

CNA/ME/MK/2026