The legislation as regards the registration of Turkish Cypriots in the electoral roll has been strictly followed, Chief Returning Officer Constantinos Nicolaides has said.
In statements during a press conference on the forthcoming European elections, Nicolaides rejected criticism that Turkish Cypriots who should have been included in the roll were not.
“All Turkish Cypriots who possess a new Cypriot identity card and reside in areas which are not under the control of the government are allowed to vote in 50 different spots”, he said, adding that any Turkish Cypriots residing in the government controlled areas and have registered to vote can also do so.
We implement strictly the recently amended legislation, he pointed out.
On his part the Director of the Elections Service in the Ministry of Interior Demetris Demetriou explained that the legislation which was amended in March provides that all Republic of Cyprus citizens who have an address in the areas, which are not controlled by the Republic, are registered automatically on the basis of the data which have been entered in the civil registry.
The majority of Turkish Cypriots reside in the occupied areas of Cyprus as a result of the invasion of Turkey in 1974 which continues today to occupy Cyprus` northern third. Previously Turkish Cypriots like Greek Cypriots had the right to vote provided they registered in the electoral roll.
Parliament adopted in March a bill on the forthcoming European elections amending previous legislation allowing for the automatic registration of Turkish Cypriots if they do not reside in the government controlled areas of the island. Previous legislation provided that all citizens of the Republic have the right to vote but must apply to be included in the electoral roll once they reach the age of 18.
Demetriou explained that a large number of Turkish Cypriots did not give an address when applying for their ID, adding that many gave an address in the government controlled areas.
The Elections Service, he noted, implemented strictly the legislative provision and as a result 58,637 Turkish Cypriots automatically have the right to vote in the European elections.